Responsibilities
by Aquilon
Summary: After becoming the new champion of Kanto, Ash has to come to accept the responsibilities of being a champion and an adult. This means taking responsibility for his next big mistake, Misty. Pokéshipping, AAML.
1. The New Champion

Responsibilities Chapter One

_This is a Pokéshipping fiction. The story is based around Ash and his new responsibilities as the new champion of Kanto, and taking responsibility for the huge 'mistake' he makes early on in the story. _

_**Character ages:** Ash – 20, Misty – 21, Brock – 25 etc, their adults. _

_**Genre:** Family, Romance, Humour (but not the focus)._

The New Champion

When Ash started his journey at age 10 he had one dream, one goal which he swore to dedicate his life towards. This was of course the dream of becoming a Pokémon master. This was an impossible dream because there wasn't any way to distinguish a Pokémon Master from an ordinary trainer.

However if he had to sum it up, he'd admit he was now as close as he could possibly get to calling himself a Master. This is because; only two hours prior he had won the battle of his life against the champion of Kanto and in doing so became the champion of his home region.

Years of extreme effort, travelling and the occasional disappointment had culminated into his victory, but despite this he felt kind of underwhelmed. He always imagined when he defeated a champion that he'd be filled with pride, sure there was pride but he was left thinking the one vital question.

"What do I do next?" he whispered into his gloved hand as he sat in the room only known as 'the hall of fame' awaiting the president of the Pokémon League, Mr. Charles Goodshow to make an appearance.

"Two hours is a little too long don't you think?" he asked his partner who stood perched on his shoulder showing clear signs of exhaustion. It was he after all, along with all those who cheered for him from the stands who had pushed him over the finish line, allowing him to snatch victory out of the claws of defeat.

"Pika" was the only response, it was weak, making Ash feel sorry and for his best friend who had got roughed up quite seriously in the final battle against the opponent's Zapdos. Accompanying this feeling was pride, sure Pikachu had defeated legendaries in his time, but that Zapdos was famous for destroying all challengers' hopes, but as usual Pikachu delivered when it truly mattered.

"What's taking them so long?" he then asked, seemingly unable to control the amount of questions he was asking.

"PI-KA" Pikachu strained angrily, letting off a small amount of electricity from his cheeks, it was all he could manage after the hard fought battle.

"S-sorry" Ash replied, rubbing the back of his head before laughing slightly. "I guess I'm just nervous about all this, I mean come on Pikachu, I-no, we, along with all of our friends are champions of Kanto!" he said with enthusiasm in reference to all the Pokémon he had captured on his journey.

"Pi-ka Pi" the electric mouse replied in a more cheery manner, well as cheery as a weak and tired Pokémon could sound.

"We've been through so much, so many regions explored, so many friends made and now we've done it" Ash said with a touch of sentimentality in his voice, nearly overcome with emotion in doing so.

Minutes after he said this the room was filled with silence and once again impatience filled his thoughts, he didn't know why he had to wait so long nor did he understand why he had to sit in the hall of fame, he would of preferred to sit with his friends who came to watch, such as Brock, Misty, Dawn, May, Tracey, Max, Cilian and Iris, along with his mother, professor Oak and even Gary who had forced himself away from his research to watch.

As he continued to think of how bored he was, the automatic doors of the room opened wide, snapping him out of his internal rant as his head shot up and looked towards the door.

Standing there was Mr. Goodshow and the champion. _"No, former champion" _Ash thought proudly as they approached him slowly. Seeing this Ash got to his feet.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long Ash" the elderly man apologised sincerely, bowing his head slightly. "We had to sort out some important business regarding your crowning as champion" he continued as he turned to the former champion who nodded and walked right in front of Ash.

"Ash" the man who was around 20-30 years older than Ash said with a deep voice. "On behalf of the Indigo League and the Kanto Trainer Association, I'd like to formally congratulate you for your victory today" he told the young man with pride in his tone, confusing the young Ketchum.

"Uh thank you... Red?" Ash replied unsurely, after all the name sounded fake, as if the man was hiding something, not just from him but the entire world. This made the older man laugh and fish something out his pocket.

"Here" he said handing him a laminated black and gold card, with golden stars circling a picture of his face, on the card was also some bold red letters and his trainer identification number.

"This is?" Ash asked as he looked at the card.

"Your official license to prove you are the champion of Kanto" the man said as he pulled out his own and showed it to Ash. "Don't worry you never lose it, so you'll always be a 'champion' even if you aren't the current one" he informed the man with a laugh.

"Um, thanks" Ash replied, unsure if he was being rude or just surprised. "Sorry, is this what took so long?" Ash asked as the two men in front of him turned to each other, before turning back and shaking their heads.

"Oh no sorry, we had to set something else up, it's something all champions go through, don't worry I went through it too" Red replied as he put a hand on Ash's shoulder before guiding him over to a machine. "Ah it's been over fifteen years since I saw this room" the man reminisced with a smile, his eyes not visible under his red cap.

"That long?" Ash asked in surprise.

"Yes, you were five at the time" he replied surprising Ash again, sure his age was public information, but he sounded so... familiar when saying it.

"What exactly does this machine do?" Ash asked as he looked at the monitor, which switched on suddenly revealing an image of himself, and his Pokémon from his battle, his name was in bold writing, and it revealed the words 'Champion of Kanto' leaving him slightly breathless.

"It records champions forever, your accomplishments will never be forgotten here" the man said as he looked down, only slightly to look at Ash. "Congratulations, I never thought, you would be the one to finally defeat me" he said with a smile before looking away "I'm glad it was you though" he finished.

Ash raised an eyebrow at this and turned to Mr. Goodshow who looked away. _"What's all this about?" _Ash thought as he examined the man known as 'Red'. "What do you mean, me being the one who defeated you?" Ash asked the man who turned back to look at him.

"Oh I've been following your career since your first Pokémon League" he said quickly, as if masking something. Ash who was too tired to particularly work this out just smiled.

"Thanks" he replied as he turned to Mr. Goodshow. "So what do I do now?" Ash asked the man who smiled.

"You're free to leave now Ash" he replied as he walked over to him and handed him four envelopes, three were white and the other was gold in colour. "Open the gold one when you want, don't open the other three" he informed Ash who spied the envelopes curiously. "That's all" he replied before reaching out his hand "congratulations again Ash, it feels like my own grandson won" he said with pride making Ash smile before shaking his hand.

"Thank you Mr. Goodshow" Ash replied as he turned his head to see Pikachu had fallen asleep _"I guess that's why he wasn't so talkative" _Ash thought as he picked up his friend.

"Thank you for the battle Red" Ash then added before walking out of the hall of fame leaving the two alone.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Derek?" Goodshow asked once he was sure Ash was out of sight. "That was your chance" he added making the former champion sigh deeply as he removed his red cap, revealing his black hair and brown eyes. His expression was calm but Goodshow could tell it was a mask.

"I'm just happy to see him again" Derek replied with a small smile, it was my fault it all came to this, I never took responsibility and because of that I am paying the price.

"I'm sure he'd understand if you just told him about it" the old man replied hesitantly, to be honest he wasn't so accepting of Derek's reasons, but he knew that he was a good man, and more importantly a close friend.

"Well regardless, I don't deserve to see him" the man replied, his voice illustrating the guilt and shame he felt. "I just hope he never goes down the same road as me" he added as he turned to the machine and looked at Ash's record smiling.

"And if he does?" Mr. Goodshow asked.

"He won't" Derek cut in. "Delia would have raised him much better than that" he finished, with a tinge of hope in his tone. "Anyway, it's unlikely, after all not many people would do what I did" Derek finished.

"Like father like son" Charles Goodshow said making the former champion turn and stare darkly at him.

"He'll never" Derek told him sharply.

"Never what? Derek?" Mr. Goodshow asked.

"End up like me, if worse comes to worse, I'd stop him myself... somehow" Derek 'Red' Ketchum said determinedly making Goodshow smile before laughing. "What is it?" Derek asked.

"Nothing, let's start preparing, it's been a long time since Kanto has celebrated a new champion" Charles said making Derek smile.

"Yeah let's go" he replied as he walked out of the room with him.

* * *

When Ash got into the main lobby of Indigo Plateau's main building he was met with a smaller crowd that he'd been expecting, much to his disappointment. Waiting for him was Delia, Brock, Professor Oak, Tracey and Gary.

"Ash!" Delia shouted out first rushing over to him, hugging him tightly before he had a chance to speak. "Congratulations!" she praised as he struggled to breathe under the tightness of her embrace, noting in a moment of suffocation, that she had a mighty strong grip for someone so much smaller than himself.

When he managed to break away, he was met with congratulations by the rest of the group, making him smile broadly. In the midst of the praise he was asked where Pikachu was, to which he remarked that all his Pokémon were at the centre and that he visited it before coming to the lobby.

"So Ash what took so long?" Gary finally asked the question everyone had been thinking.

"Ah, Red and Mr. Goodshow introduced me into the hall of fame and gave me" he explained as he pulled out the envelopes and his new ID, "these" he finished showing it off with a hint of pride in his voice. Gary understood this even more than the rest, because he had shared the same dream with Ash when they were children.

"Impressive" Professor Oak piped up with a smile and once again he was showered with praise, finally overwhelming Ash who shielded his face momentarily, everyone in the room understood, his dream was accomplished after all.

After he had calmed down he turned to Delia. "Hey mum where did everyone else go?" he asked her curiously making her frown slightly.

"Max and May had to leave with Professor Birch who came to pick them up" Brock cut in, "Dawn has an important fashion event to be at tomorrow, Cilian and Iris well they just disappeared... I don't really know them much to understand what they were leaving for, but it sounded important" Brock informed him "but they all said their congratulations, they said they would text you" Brock added.

"What about Misty?" Ash asked making Brock grimace slightly.

"Oh, she had a date to attend..." Tracey said awkwardly.

"... But she said it was business only, Daisy forced her, I tried to stop her" Tracey continued nervously making Ash laugh confusing those present.

"It's okay guys, Misty can do what she likes" Ash told them, making his mother face palm uncharacteristically. "I'm just happy she attended" Ash finished softly with a smile, before he was interrupted by the sound of an excited Pikachu.

"Piii-ka!" the electric mouse shouted loudly as he crashed into Ash.

"Pikachu!" he exclaimed happily, hugging him with a broad smile on his face, "we did it buddy!" he informed the mouse to let it know he wasn't dreaming.

As the two continued to celebrate the group watched them with smiles on their faces, until Oak approached Delia and whispered into her ear. "He still hasn't noticed has he?" he asked Delia who sighed.

"There was no date" Delia mumbled "I told her jealousy wouldn't work" Delia said exasperatedly. "Though to be fair to Ash, she is also in denial, we all knew she didn't have a date, but she wouldn't admit it" Delia said in a downtrodden tone.

"It was still a good act" Oak whispered back. "Huge props to Brock and Tracey" Oak joked making Delia giggle. "They're still young, don't worry Delia" Oak said hoping to alleviate her worries, he knew why Delia was so apprehensive about Ash, but they never spoke about it.

"Yeah" Delia finished the conversation before turning to Ash. "Say let's return home, it's getting late and if we don't hurry I won't be able to make your favourite meal Ash" Delia told her son who asked Pikachu what his opinion was like he always did, when he got confirmation he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm also getting tired, let's return to Pallet Town!" he said enthusiastically gaining a roar of agreement from the group who left the lobby together.

As they walked to the car Ash stared at the envelopes curious as to what their contents were, what he didn't know was these letters were going to be the starting point of an event that would forever change his life, for better, or worse.

* * *

Damn what a slow start to a story, trust me you probably have no idea where I am going with this story, but I have showed hints already as to what is going to happen, the title is also a big hint.

Sorry if it was boring, but I need time to build a story, as for Ash's fathers name, I just thought Derek Ketchum had a ring to it, and as for the name 'Red' I thought it would be a nice shout out to the games, P.S. I love Zapdos and that is why he was Red's main Pokemon in this haha.

Oh by the way, a small shout out but I seriously have not watched Best Wishes yet, this is why Cilian and Iris are mentioned, Brock's own words help to express my own thoughts haha.

Anyway, I hope you did enjoy it.

-Aquilon


	2. Three Invitations

Responsibilities Chapter Two

_So the first chapter was rather slow, this one too isn't the fastest but fast development is often the downfall of fanfictions, as I have seen from my experience._

Three Invitations

The ride back to Pallet Town was bumpy as normal, Ash wasn't quite sure if she knew it, but his mother was actually quite the dangerous and reckless driver, seriously contrasting with her sweet and kind attitude which was famous in his hometown. It was as if she became a different person when she drove, nonetheless they got home with no serious injuries, just a few bangs on the head from jolting around in the car.

Afterwards, Professor Oak, Gary and Tracey returned to the lab, each giving Ash one last congratulations before returning to their work. Ash felt appreciative, because he knew all three of them were working on an important project, but took time out of it to watch him battle Red, the champion of the Kanto Pokémon League for the last fifteen years.

"Wow" was all Ash could mutter as the sheer volume of his accomplishment hit him. "I defeated the person who has been the champion since I can remember" Ash said with a genuine smile making Delia and Brock, who had decided to go to Pallet with them, nod as if confirming his words.

"I'm so proud of you sweetie" Delia told her son as she entered the house and called out to Mimey, her Mr. Mime.

"Thanks" he said again, noting that he'd been saying that a lot since his victory. "Though I wouldn't have achieved it without having such good friends with me" he said as he entered the house, accompanied by Brock who walked over to the kitchen instinctively to see if Delia needed any help.

Meanwhile, Ash walked over to the sofa and switched on the TV. At the same time Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and ran over to the kitchen, Ash guessed that Brock had put some food out for his first Pokémon.

Coincidentally the news was on and unsurprisingly enough the report was on himself and his victory over Red. The headline read 'Biggest Underdog Victory of the Decade' which kind of insulted him to some degree. Sure Red was a fantastic trainer, who had battled plenty of trainers, but he too was an experienced trainer, having been the champion in the small time Orange League and defeating the battle frontier, an achievement that to this day he was proud of.

Over the course of the following thirty minutes he watched an in-depth analysis of his background, he of course knew everything, but it was nice to see how people viewed him, and his accomplishments. He was surprised that they highlighted his top four spot in the Sinnoh League as a turning point in his career, having defeated two legendaries of the trainer Tobias, who went on to win the final without losing a single Pokémon.

When the show was over, Delia called him over to the dining room where all his favourite home-cooked meals were laid out bare, ready to eat. Ash could feel his mouth salivating at the sight, and this small fact made Delia feel as if the effort was worth it.

"Can I start?" Ash asked his mother who nodded with a smile.

"Of course sweetie dig in!" she chimed, making him practically attack the table, Delia and Brock on the other hand sat down and started eating normally, both noticing that some things about Ash hadn't changed over the years, like his messy eating habits.

"Wow this tastes so good!" Ash said ecstatically, making Delia feel even happier. "This is the best yet" Ash continued heap on the praise, Delia despite having heard it every time she made him a special meal, still revelled in his praise.

"I must agree with Ash, Mrs. Ketchum" Brock added making Delia giggle slightly, she also noted that regardless of how old Brock got he was still hopelessly attracted to most women, such as herself.

"Oh please you two you're embarrassing me" she said coyly at their praise as she looked at the empty fourth seat which was next to Ash. "You know what would have made this more enjoyable" Delia started, catching the attention of the two young men.

"What Mrs. Ketchum?" Brock asked attentively.

"Yeah what is it mum?" Ash asked through a full mouth, embarrassing Delia slightly, her son wasn't very good with table manners, and it was too late to just teach her son that.

"If Misty was here to join us" she informed the two who looked at each other at the same time, it was no secret that out of all the friends Ash had encountered, he was closest to his original group of travelling companions, Misty and Brock. That didn't mean he wasn't as fond of his other friends, but the original group had a special connection that couldn't ever be changed.

"Yeah" Brock said, being the first to agree, inwardly cursing Misty's lie about having a date, Ash would never get jealous, or so he thought. He always suspected the two harboured feelings for each other, but one was as dense as rock and the other was hopelessly in denial about it.

"It's just a shame she had that date..." Delia added "right Ash?" she asked her son who had already started attacking his food again.

"Yeah" Ash said absentmindedly much to the surprise of the two present before adding "it would be better if Misty were here" which kind of deflated the hopes of his mother in the process.

"Don't you feel a little disappointed that she's not here?" Brock added casually, as if he wasn't forcing an issue, so it went down well with Ash who merely shrugged in response.

"Mist said she was forced into it right?" Ash asked the two, using her nickname that he only used with a slightly serious tone and both nodded in agreement. "Then it's not her fault, I'm sure she'd be here with us otherwise" Ash said voicing his full confidence in the woman he'd known over half of his life.

Ash's declaration of confidence did nothing to stir Delia's beliefs, she was sure that her son and the young woman whom she had a motherly affection for, had feelings for each other. In fact it just gave her more reason to believe that one day, perhaps her son would finally realise the woman's feelings for him, after all he seemed to understand how she worked already.

"So we should just stop talking about it" Ash finished, not wanting to talk about the fact that Misty was not with them. To most people it would sound like hurt, but these two people knew Ash the most, and there was certainly no hurt in it, just annoyance.

"Ok Ash" Brock replied as before taking another mouthful, when a thought hit him. "Hey Ash, what were those envelopes you showed us earlier?" Brock asked curiously, making the new champion raise an eyebrow in confusion before snapping his fingers.

"Oh those envelopes, I nearly forgot thanks Brock" Ash replied as he got out of his seat and fetched them from the living room. When he returned he placed all four on the table, the three white ones in one pile and the gold one on its own.

"Mr. Goodshow told me not to open the white ones before the gold one" Ash informed them before snatching up the gold envelope and untidily ripped it open without damaging the contents. "Hm" Ash murmured as he unfolded the letter inside, which he hastily read to satisfy his curiosity.

"Huh, I see" Ash commented as he read it.

"What does it say?" Brock and Delia asked curiously making Ash smirk slightly.

"First of all I'll hand you each one of these envelopes" Ash told them as he placed a white envelope in front of both of them. "Ahem" he started.

"Congratulations Ash Ketchum, In the light of this momentous occasion we are proud to inform you that in a week from now, there will be a party held in your honour at the Grand Hotel in Celadon City. Accompanying this letter are three invitations for whomever you wish to invite. Yours sincerely, Mr. Charles Goodshow – President of the Pokémon League" Ash read out with a poor impression of an upper-class accent.

"And that's it" Ash told them before diving back into his food much to his mother's chagrin.

"That's it?" Delia asked the young man, "Ash do you understand how important this party is?" she asked the man who shrugged unenthusiastically.

"Just another party right?" Ash asked in a simple manner, "like the one I received when I returned home from the Indigo League" Ash finished making Brock sigh.

"Ash remember that really tall building in Celadon City?" Brock asked the man who scoffed slightly.

"Brock all the buildings in Celadon are tall, I think you'll have to be more specific" Ash mocked lightly, annoying his best friend of the last decade in the process.

"Ok that really, really tall building" Brock explained in a simple manner. "The one that we weren't allowed into, remember?" Brock finished, luckily sparking the young man's memory. Ash wasn't a stupid person, he had intelligence, but most of it only centralised around Pokémon battling.

"Ah that one... so?" Ash asked, as if it held no meaning.

"Simply put, this isn't going to be a town party, this is going to be a formal party, with what I guess to be a few celebrities and other well known people, do you think it's not an issue now?" he asked his long time friend who nodded.

"Nope, no problem" Ash responded making Brock face palm. "Anyway those two invitations are for you, which leaves me with one more" Ash said as he picked up the third letter and waved it side to side. "Who to pick" he murmured, waiting for the hints that were bound to come.

"You know Ash, if this is a formal party you're going to need a date" Delia told her son in a deceptively cheerful tone, Ash could tell she was scheming something, that tone always meant she had something in mind.

"Really?" Ash asked in an exasperated tone, he'd been on plenty of dates, but most were boring since he didn't have much in common with them.

"Yes" his mother replied with a smile, one finger lifted in the air when saying it. "And I know just the person you should take" Delia said with a small smile, Brock caught on and also donned a small smile.

"Who?" Ash asked unenthusiastically and truth be told, slightly unnerved about what her answer was going to be.

"Why Misty of course" Delia answered, gaining a disguised thumbs up from Brock for her effort. Ash on the other hand did something he rarely did, put down his food to pay full attention to what was being said.

His expression wasn't as shocked as both expected, his mother expected Ash to start furiously denying the possibility, but she guessed Ash had become mature quicker than she thought. As silence filled the room, Ash opened his mouth to speak.

"Why Mist?" Ash asked both of them, his expression suspicious, yet when the pair looked at him carefully they noticed an uncharacteristic look of worry in his eyes.

"Well she knows you the most right?" Brock offered for Delia who was too intrigued watching her son's reaction to reply. "You two haven't spent time with each other recently either, so I think it would be a good thing" Brock said convincingly as he turned to Delia. "Right Mrs. Ketchum?" he asked her, snapping her out of her stupor.

"Yes that's right..." Delia said uncertainly, that really wasn't her intention and Delia wasn't a good liar.

"Uh-huh" Ash replied as he slipped some food into his mouth. "I think she'd probably kill me for even asking" Ash suggested warily, he knew the temper of his favourite red head and he wasn't sure how she'd react to such a thing, he guessed a kick to the face or something.

"You're both adults now, I'm sure she wouldn't react like that" Delia chimed as if trying to remove the potential of that outcome, she did know that Misty could very well react like that, but she doubted she would if it was Ash asking her.

"No offense, but I think I know Mist better than you two do" Ash said with a hint of possessiveness in his voice. He was sure that he knew Misty better than pretty much anyone, perhaps even more than her own sisters did. The only person he thought could know her more than he did was her older sister, Daisy Waterflower, Tracey's girlfriend.

When Ash said this he noticed that Brock gave him a knowing smile, it irritated him but he didn't want to talk about it, so he just allowed Brock to think whatever he was thinking. _"It's probably crazy nonsense as usual anyway" _Ash assured himself.

"If you say so Ash, you do know her better than us" Brock conceded with a sly grin before starting to eat again, not pushing the issue, Ash then noticed his own mum giving him the same smile.

"_What's all this about?" _Ash thought curiously. _"Why are they acting like this, maybe they just want Misty to come with us?" _Ash thought as he stuffed some more food in his mouth. "Maybe" Ash then blurted out when he finished the food.

"Hm?" Brock hummed in question, Delia just watched as her son's eye twitched.

"Maybe I'll invite Misty ok" Ash conceded, he was 'smart' enough to know that they would never stop asking him to do it, so he thought he could at least tell them there was a chance he'd ask her. _"Though I probably still won't" _Ash thought in fear of his life, or at least his pride, getting rejected in a humiliating way would be horrifying for him.

Moments afterwards Ash spotted Brock give Delia a thumbs up much like Brock had done so earlier. This time however Ash noticed it and stared at it suspiciously. _"I wish they'd just tell me what they're planning" _Ash thought as he pushed himself away from the table. "Thanks for the food mum, it was delicious" Ash informed as he pocketed the final invitation. "I'm going to go watch some more TV" he let his mother know before leaving.

Once he was out of the room Brock turned to Delia who was smiling brighter than she usually did, which was quite the feat. "That went better than expected" Brock whispered as he picked up a few plates and cleaned them up, he always did these jobs at the Ketchum household, ever since the incident with Professor. Ivy.

"He's always so stubborn when it comes to relationships, especially whenever Misty is mentioned" Delia informed Brock who actually laughed.

"One day he'll be like me in that regards, I'm sure of it" Brock said making Delia sweat slightly.

"_I really hope not" _Delia thought whilst still smiling at the young man. "Brock, haven't you got things to do like the rest of Ash's friends?" Delia asked the young man who stopped briefly and turned around.

"Not really I took some holiday time off , some things you can only see once after all" Brock informed the woman who smiled at his words, Brock had always been dedicated to Ash, despite their five year age gap, kind of like the sibling Ash never had.

"Thank you Brock" Delia said appreciatively before helping him with the dishes. _"I'm glad Ash got a sibling figure, I always wanted it for him, but Derek..." _Delia thought in a rare case of anger. She couldn't forgive her husband, even though she always spoke nicely of him in front of Ash. This was done mainly to spare his feelings.

"No problem Mrs. Ketchum" Brock replied with a smile, completely unaware of Delia's inner torment.

* * *

As his mum and Brock did the dishes Ash just lounged around on the sofa watching more TV, in fact once again it was on his victory, but it was a recording of his battle. He was surprised how battles looked from the spectator position and how calm he looked when Zapdos defeated Charizard. In actuality Ash was panicking at that moment in time, he completely underestimated Red's Zapdos, even though he knew of its tremendous power beforehand.

"_Do I really look like that when I battle?" _Ash wondered curiously before smiling when he saw himself do his signature cap turn and call on Pikachu, who started trading blows with the legendary bird Pokémon.

Pikachu himself was also watching the show with Ash, when witnessing himself getting hit by a powerful thunder attack Pikachu physically shivered. Ash assumed that attack really hurt Pikachu, but the electric mouse just kept getting up every time he was hit, as if he was using sheer will to stay in the battle.

"Wow Pikachu, you're amazing" Ash complimented making the electric mouse almost blush from happiness before jumping onto Ash's shoulder. "We're just lucky Zapdos didn't stay in the sky and came down to get you, otherwise we would have never got on top of him" Ash commented with a smile, watching his battle.

"Pi-ka!" the electric mouse protested, seemingly offended by Ash's compliment, but it was true, it was Red's mistake ordering Zapdos to drill peck Pikachu.

"It doesn't matter though, you're the greatest" Ash told his Pikachu whilst stroking its head.

The mutual pride between trainer and Pokémon was clear as day for Delia and Brock. Once the show ended, Ash decided to head off to bed. He'd been battling exhaustion since the battle after all.

* * *

As the young champion entered his room, he noticed as always it still retained its childish design. After all, Ash wasn't home much, he never settled down and he was always travelling. Besides keeping his old things as normal gave him a blast of nostalgia every time he entered it. It helped remind him of what drove him, what he desired, and now, what he'd accomplished.

His first act was to pick up his black and gold coloured Pokégear which he left on his bedside cabinet, he picked that model because it seemed the most masculine whilst not imitating Brock's Pokégear. He was just picky like that. As he flipped open the device he spotted a small icon that read '29 messages in inbox' making him smile.

Most of the messages were from friends whom asked for his Pokégear number, accompanying these people were messages from Cilian, Iris, May, Dawn and even Paul. To be honest he only read the messages briefly, his tiredness prevented him from taking too much interest that was until he got a new message.

The display screen read Mist and unconsciously Ash got onto his bed and opened up the message which was longer than the other congratulations messages he'd received. This one included an apology for not being there after his victory and practically an essay which expressed her joy about his victory. The thing that caught his eye the most was the phrase 'I haven't been this happy in a long time' which made Ash smile without realising it.

Unlike the other messages it was clear to Pikachu that Ash was fully engrossed in reading it, so whilst his master continued reading, he climbed into the bed and fell asleep.

Ash however stayed awake, re-reading the message, not understanding why he was doing so. He eventually sent a message in reply. 'Thanks Mist. How was your date?" he asked, frowning at the message before sending it. It didn't take long until a message was sent straight back.

'...Boring, I wish I never went, damn Daisy' it read with a bored emoticon included. This message made the young champion laugh, he was happy that she responded like that. Before he could reply another message came through. 'Sorry I wasn't there Ash, I really am' she messaged with a sad smiley at the end.

'It's okay Mist, I'm just happy you were watching' Ash replied, hesitating before sending it.

'Okay' was the only response, Ash wondered if he said something wrong and mentally cursed at his stupidity. However this didn't last long since another message came right through. 'I still feel bad though' she responded which made Ash frown, after all Misty was forced into the date, so he wasn't angry.

Before replying Ash thumbed the final invitation and pulled it out of his pocket observing it and then his Pokégear. 'Say Mist, I'm going to be in Cerulean in a few days, want to hang out?' Ash texted as he continued to look at the invitation, it was clear that he'd made his mind up.

'Really?' the message started making Ash grin. 'I think that'll be fine, I can always hand Gym duty to Daisy in revenge' Misty's reply continued, accompanied by a devilish grin smiley. 'I'll make it up to you for not being there today for sure' Misty promised. 'Well anyway, I think I'll go to bed now, I'm tired, goodnight Ash' the message finished with a smile. Unknowingly giving Ash the exact same expression, except his was softer.

'Goodnight Mist' he sent a reply before closing the device and going to sleep, feeling much happier than he was before.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Mrs. Ketchum and Brock are such matchmakers, seriously though I think anyone who has seen Pokémon's original series would agree that Misty is the only one for Ash. I adore the pairing too much; have done since I was a little kid.

I'd like to thank all the reviewers of the last chapter, to be honest I was surprised with the attention Pokéshipping fictions receive, I mean the pairing is over Ten years old by now, nearly fifteen lol, so to have such a loyal following is nice to see, and it's even better to see that other people besides me still give this pairing the love it deserves :)

Special thanks to **Nyislandersgirl** for the long review, it made me smile and forced and motivated me to write out this chapter earlier than expected, and I should let you know I am studying right now for my University Exams, so prying me a away takes some effort.

Next chapter will probably include the meeting between Ash and Misty, damn they are such an adorable pairing :').

Hope you enjoyed and I'll try and write chapter three soon.

-Aquilon


	3. Cerulean Mist

Responsibilities Chapter Three

_Wow chapter three already, I'm really on the ball, but I love this pairing too much and I keep getting so many idea that I can't stop writing._

Cerulean Mist

Two nights and one day had passed since Ash's victory over Red, the man who was called the ultimate champion. Having defeated Lance, Steven and Cynthia in the last meeting of champions three year back, Ash could feel proud that in defeating the long-time champion that he had the ability to defeat the other regional champions.

Shame that really didn't account for much, since the only remaining champion from that generation of champions was Steven of Hoenn. If he took Unova, a region further away than the others into the equation he would have to concede Alder was also a remaining champion.

Either way, the desire to be superior wasn't something Ash craved since he wasn't an egoist, a great trait for a champion.

After showering, the raven haired male got dressed into an outfit similar to his Sinnoh wear. Then after shoving his Pokégear in his pocket he proceeded down the stairs with Pikachu to spot his mother humming a happy tune in the kitchen. "Morning" the young champion shouted out with a half-yawn before sitting at the table and slumping over tiredly.

"Morning sweetie, sleep well?" Delia replied with her usual cheer, making Ash smile before stretching out his tired limbs.

"I guess" Ash replied before cracking his fingers, getting a small disapproving look from his mother, which prompted him to stop cracking his fingers. "Sorry" Ash quickly apologised bringing the smile back to the face of his mother.

"No problem" the woman replied as the sound of a bowl being placed on the floor rang out. "Pikachu" the woman called softly, beckoning the electric mouse who practically volt tackled his way into the kitchen.

"_Are you really that hungry buddy?" _Ash queried in his mind before shrugging it off. Soon after this his breakfast arrived at the table. "Thanks" Ash said gratefully, at the same time Delia sat down at the table.

"How long does it take to get to Cerulean City?" woman asked curiously as Ash took a mouthful of bacon. "Shall I expect you home later?" she then added before the young man had a chance to reply.

As he swallowed the food in his mouth, Ash gave his mother a dubious look. "What are you trying to say mum?" Ash asked suspiciously, gaining a nervous smile from her.

"Nothing" she replied unconvincingly before laughing slightly, Ash continued to look at her with a look of suspicion before shrugging.

"To answer your questions, I think I can get there by mid-day, luckily I convinced Charizard yesterday to fly there" Ash replied as he opened his Pokégear to look at the time, which read 7:00am. This was a strange time to be up, but Ash didn't want to get to Cerulean late. "And no I probably won't be home tonight" Ash replied getting a disturbingly sly look from his own mother.

"Don't worry I'm going to be at the Pokémon centre, don't even think that sort of thing ok" Ash told his mother who laughed softly at his outburst

"Ok sweetie, just don't forget to ask Misty" Delia said before getting to her feet and going back to the kitchen.

"Who said I was going for that reason?" Ash shouted out in protest, but his mother never replied, needless to say he knew he'd lost this one, especially since the final invitation was in the pocket of his blue cargo jeans.

"_Why is she making such a big deal out of this" _Ash sulked a little until he felt the vibration of his Pokégear, alerting him of a new message. Ash quickly flipped the device open and read the text, 'Sender: Brocko, Don't forget to deliver that invitation Ash' the message read with a small heart at the end.

"_What the hell Brock do you want me to get Croagunk on your ass?" _Ash screamed in his head as he jammed the device back in his pocket, feeling quite angry, luckily he was able to unleash this anger at his food which he ate with reckless abandon.

Once finished he got out of his seat and called his faithful companion who came running out of the kitchen instantly before climbing up him before finally perching on shoulder. "Hey mum I'm going now" Ash called out.

"Goodluck" the woman said to him as she walked out of the kitchen. "Remember-" she started before he cut in.

"Yeah, yeah the invitation, got it" Ash said impatiently, getting a small smile from the woman as she hugged him. He was going to protest that he was too old for hugs from his mother, but he could never upset her, the person who raised him single-handedly.

"Right I'm off" Ash said as he walked out the door. "Go Charizard!" he called out summoning the giant fire dragon, whom he had decided to keep around for a while before sending him back to the Charicific Valley.

"You know the routine Charizard" Ash told his Charizard which nodded in understanding before Ash hopped onto its back. "Lift-off!" he called out as he wrapped his arms around the Pokémon's neck and began to soar into the sky.

* * *

As Ash flew in the skies above Pewter city he smiled, remembering his first encounter with Brock who at the time was the leader of Pewter Gym. Things had vastly changed since those times though. Now Brock was professional Pokémon doctor working at the local Pokémon centre, which Ash remarked was probably his dream job. _"Anywhere with a Nurse Joy" _Ash thought with a wry smile, imagining him failing as usual.

They were making quite good time, last Ash checked it was around 9:00am, he remembered it could take days to reach Pewter by foot, but by air it dramatically cut the journey down. "You still ok to fly?" Ash asked his Charizard who snorted as if offended. "Ok buddy calm down" Ash soothed the dragon-like fire Pokémon who made a disgruntled 'hmph' sort of noise. Charizard after all was a proud Pokémon, not only that he was also very powerful. In fact Ash would have a tough time picking which of his Pokémon was the strongest. _"Either Pikachu, Charizard or Sceptile" _Ash thought with a smile.

It didn't take long until Pewter was far behind them. All that was in front now was Mt. Moon. Ash remarked that the scenery could easily match some of the sights he had witnessed on his worldly travels. As Charizard navigated himself through the spires of rock Ash's thoughts drifted to 'lessons' Brock had taught him when he was younger.

"_Women love gifts" _was one he always remembered and Ash knew he'd have to do something special to avoid getting attacked by his favourite female friend. _"But Misty isn't a woman" _Ash thought with a smile _"she's different, she's just Mist and I can't say that's a bad thing" _Ash grinned, knowing he'd probably be killed if he told her that himself. _"Well it couldn't hurt getting her something" _Ash thought as they finally escaped the Mt. Moon skyline.

They were now extremely close to Cerulean, which meant there were several forms of water nearby and Ash being the Pokémon crazy person he was knew the perfect gift. "Hey Charizard can we land near that lake?" he asked the Pokémon who roared and descended without warning.

Once they were on the ground Ash noticed Charizard was more tired than he expected. "Hey Charizard, don't worry I'll walk the rest of the way, good work" Ash complimented the creature with a smile before returning it to its Pokéball. "Rest well buddy" he said before attaching the ball to his waist.

Afterwards Ash removed his backpack and opened it, pulling out a fishing rod and his 'special' Misty lure. "Time for a little fishing, Pikachu" as told the electric mouse who had already started approaching the water.

"Pi-ka!" the mouse point out to the lake.

"Is there a school of water Pokémon there Pikachu?" Ash asked as he slowly approached the waterbed, gaining a nod of the head from his starter Pokémon. "Good work buddy" Ash complimented, stroking his head affectionately. Pikachu's good sense of smell came in handy quite often during his individual adventures after the Unova League.

"Piii" the Pokémon squealed happily as Ash cast out the rod and waited, it didn't take long before he felt a bite.

"Perfect!" Ash shouted out pulling back instantly unveiling a Pokémon not common to the Kanto region. "I-Is that a Feebas?" Ash stuttered slightly, amazed at his luck. Feebas was a rare Pokémon which often travelled in schools; you didn't just find the odd occasional one. You would either find lots or none at all.

"Misty just loves the... less attractive water Pokémon" Ash whispered, in hopes of not offending the Pokémon. _"Tentacool, Tentacruel... I'm sure she'll love a Feebas" _Ash thought as he pulled the Pokémon onto land.

"Pikachu let's finish this quickly" Ash told the electric mouse who quickly position itself in front of Ash. "Pikachu use thunder bolt!" Ash ordered the electric mouse who unleashed a frighteningly powerful electrical attack which seemed to knock out Feebas instantly.

Smiling at his work Ash grabbed one of his spare Pokéballs and tossed it at the unconscious Feebas, it didn't take long before the red dot turned white, signalling that he captured the Pokémon. "Alright, we caught a Feebas!" Ash called out in his signature celebration.

"Pi-Pika-chu" Pikachu celebrated with his trainer.

"For Misty" Ash added making Pikachu let out a strangled 'huh?' sound making his trainer laugh in the process. "We can catch another if you want Pikachu" Ash offered but Pikachu shook its head. "Ok then" Ash replied before folding up the rod and placing it back in his backpack.

"Let's head to Cerulean, we have two hours before its mid-day, that's plenty of time" Ash reasoned with his friend, who perched himself on his shoulder and pointed in the direction of Cerulean City. Ash took Pikachu's advice and walked in the direction of the city with a broad smile, subconsciously formed through excitement of meeting his long-time friend.

* * *

The walk to Cerulean City was rather uneventful, unlike what usually happened whenever Ash travelled by foot. He spotted no-one with Pokémon troubles or no random holes in the floor, something that happened often on his first trip around Kanto.

As he entered the city he noticed the hustle and bustle, something that always brought a smile to Ash's face. He loved travelling since he enjoyed the sights he got to see, such as the city-life he was currently experiencing.

Ash fully understanding that now that he was a champion he'd be easily noticed decided to walk through the streets slowly, not to trying to stand out. Needless to say it was a pointless endeavour as his face was still on the news and you'd have to be a hermit not to notice him. It didn't take long until he was swarmed by a few young children a few of them shouting words of congratulations at him.

His newfound fame left him a little speechless and truthfully, even a little bashful. He found it hard to not blush at the overt praise he was receiving from the young trainers. Even a few adults came over to see what the commotion was about.

"Look, look its Pikachu" one shouted out, pointing at the little electric mouse on Ash's shoulder who similarly to his trainer also felt overwhelmed by the popularity. However unlike Ash, Pikachu milked the praise a little, squealing happily as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

"So cute" a little girl cried out, whilst a boy of around age eleven Ash assumed said "he doesn't look so tough" in regards to Ash. It was true, unlike a lot of the elite trainers Ash wasn't physically imposing, he stood at 6'1" and had a toned build, but he was no Bruno that's for sure.

"I could take him" he heard the boy comment which made Ash's eye twitch. He knew someone very similar to this guy, namely his fiercest rival, Paul the champion of Sinnoh. Ash just hoped the kid didn't treat Pokémon like Paul used to.

"What are you doing here in Cerulean Mr. Ketchum?" a middle aged woman asked, Ash assumed she was the caretaker of one of the children since she looked apologetic when she asked.

"Ah, um" Ash started, trying to compose himself. "Just going to visit the Gym leader, she's a, um friend of mine" Ash replied with a smile.

"You're friends with that devil lady?" he heard one of the young trainers ask in surprise, the title made Ash laugh. _"What are you doing to gain such a title Mist?" _Ash thought as he sniggered slightly.

"Yeah, since we were kids, I beat her in her first defence Gym Battle" Ash declared proudly gaining a few 'oo's' and 'ah's' in admiration. "So what did she do to make you think she's a devil?" Ash asked as he walked towards the Gym, the crowd itself followed him.

"She is merciless!" one girl shouted out. "My poor Rattata nearly got eaten" another kid said in a teary voice making Ash sweat profusely. _"Surely she isn't that bad" _Ash thought as he made his way to the front of the crowd.

"Don't give up" Ash encouraged them. "I lost Gym Battles in my time. I remember losing to Lt. Surge of Vermillion Gym badly, but we came back stronger" Ash said as he turned to Pikachu who nodded in agreement. "Besides she can't be that bad, not the Misty I know" Ash told them, not noticing the look he received from the middle-aged woman when he said that.

"Let's battle!" one of them shouted and making Ash turn around, it was the same little boy who insulted him.

"Perhaps later, I have some important business" Ash said as he looked down at him. "If I encounter you when it's over I promise to give you a battle" Ash told the boy with a grin before turning around again and walking off again. This time the crowd didn't follow him, much to his pleasure.

"I really dislike crowds" Ash murmured as he picked up the pace. He didn't expect to be mobbed in the street, he just expected a few people standing at a respectable distance, like people did around Cynthia, the former champion of Sinnoh.

"Pi-ka" Pikachu agreed as he sniffed the air and pointed to the left. Ash smiled and followed Pikachu's directions. He was surprised that Pikachu could pick up a scent in such a big city but he didn't argue about it, Pikachu hadn't been wrong yet.

After following Pikachu's directions for a few more minutes he found himself outside the dome shaped Gym which sported a giant Dewgong image above a sign that said Cerulean Gym.

Ash wasted no time standing around outside and invited himself in, noticing that the lobby was empty. Since he knew his way around the Gym he made his way deeper into the compound. As they reached the aquarium area, Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and darted towards the end of the hall, meanwhile Ash walked, observing the water Pokémon on display.

"_No Milotic or Feebas" _Ash thought to himself before smiling. "Good sign" he remarked in a kind of smug tone as he reached the end of the hallway, walking through the double doors and up some stairs to reach the core of the gym, the giant swimming pool area.

From the doors he spotted his 'target' which was the beautiful red head currently swimming around with her Pokémon, a look of determination on her face which showed her fierceness, something Ash had always admired in the woman. Not feeling any tension in the meeting Ash took in a large breath and shouted.

"Hey Misty" instantly making the woman's head jolt towards the door, the look of determination softened upon seeing Ash standing at the door smiling. "Thought we were meant to be hanging out?" Ash said in a moment of cockiness as he approached the poolside making her glare ever so slightly as she swam to the edge of the pool to meet him.

"Well if you gave me some heads up perhaps this wouldn't have happened" Misty bit back with her usual feisty attitude making Ash laugh before crouching down.

"Nah" Ash replied as Pikachu ran to Misty and charge right into her excitedly.

"Pika-pii" he squealed with joy as Misty caught him.

"Aw Pikachu" she said affectionately. "It's nice to see you again" she told the electric mouse that rubbed its head against her face. "You too Ash" she said as she turned her head back to him, smiling slightly, Ash didn't understand why, but his heart rate became slightly faster from her words.

"Yeah, same back at ya" Ash said bashfully as he looked away for a moment. "So how long are you going to be?" Ash queried the woman as he made his way to a nearby chair, placing himself down. "I don't mind waiting" Ash offered making her give him a rare grin.

"Just give me a sec" she replied putting Pikachu on the edge of the pool before diving under the water. Seconds later, just as she said, a huge volume of water erupted from the pool, drenching Ash and Pikachu. This was caused by her Gyarados which she stood atop of, smiling wickedly at them in the process.

"Hey what the heck was that for?" Ash protested as his hand dove to his pocket, sighing in relief when he found the invitation hadn't been soaked. Taking this as a learning curve Ash quickly removed it from his pocket and shoved it in his backpack.

"Because it was fun" Misty replied with a small giggle as she hopped off Gyarados and onto dry-ish land. "Good work Gyarados!" she told the Pokémon softly making the large serpentine Pokémon roar happily before escaping under water.

"Oh yeah, but now what am I going to wear?" Ash said pointing to his outfit with a frown plastered on his face, Misty had to fight back a laugh at how his hair nearly covered his eyes.

"It'll dry off in the sun" Misty replied with much difficultly as she picked up a towel and dried herself briefly, she then grabbed a spare towel and threw it at him. "Here" she said in a softer voice.

"Thanks, I guess" Ash said as he removed his cap and through the towel on it, rubbing it quickly and powerfully drying it out slightly.

"Don't say that" Misty replied as she walked past him. "I know you always bring spare clothes with you when you have a backpack Mr. Ash Ketchum" she said in a tone which was almost teasing as she walked ahead making Ash mumble small curses under his breath.

When Ash was done with the towel he called over Pikachu and dried him off as he walked with Misty. "So how's work at the Gym going Mist?" Ash asked, forgetting the pool escapade for the meantime.

"Oh same old story, challengers come, I beat them" she said with no modesty in her voice. "It's not much of a surprise though, most challengers who face me are inexperienced, the more experienced ones often stay clear of this gym" Misty said in slight disappointment as the pair reached the lobby.

"Funny I thought it was quite an easy badge to achieve" Ash taunted as he put his arms behind his head.

"You only won because of my stupid sisters" Misty roared in disagreement, making the young champion laugh.

"Did not" Ash said childishly making the red head squint angrily.

"Did too" she replied instantly, mentally cursing that she was falling into the same pattern she always did with Ash. "You know what, let's not go down this route" she said in a moment of maturity as she wrapped the towel around her neck, disappointing Ash ever so slightly.

"Yeah I guess so" Ash said as she smiled.

"Ooh" Misty said sarcastically. "You almost sounded mature for a moment there" she said before giggling at Ash's angry expression. "Anyway, do you mind waiting for a minute, I need to get changed" she said as she pointed to herself.

Ash followed her hand with his eyes and smirked. "Yeah I guess so" Ash said, shamefully admiring what he saw, only slightly though. "Is there anywhere I can change?" he asked the woman.

"Down the hall to right" Misty said before smirking. "Need a map for that?" She jibed playfully.

"Ah don't worry, I won't put you through the trouble" Ash said with a grin. "You can't make a map if you can't read one Misty" Ash commented before heading off in the direction Misty told him. "I'll be back in a minute" he called out leaving Misty alone.

"Stupid Ash, at least give me a chance to reply" Misty said in disappointment before heading off towards the stairs, the small smile on her face showing the true joy she felt, it was just a shame no-one was there to see it.

* * *

Ash was the first to get ready but Misty didn't take too long herself, so Ash couldn't really complain. She wore blue shorts similar to those she wore when she was younger but of course they showed her off a little more now since she was grown up. She also wore a shoulderless yellow shirt with a Luvdisc on the front. If Ash was honest he'd admit she looked pretty good, especially her short wavy hair.

"So what have you got planned?" Misty asked him as she approached. "You said you were in Cerulean City and wanted to hang out" she added when Ash gave her a look of confusion.

"Oh that, I actually came to see you" Ash said bluntly, knocking her off guard briefly. He was going to use the moment to invite her to the party but couldn't find the words. "I have no plans though" Ash admitted lamely.

"Same old Ash" Misty replied with a sigh, covering her face momentarily with her hand to hide a small blush.

"Hey it doesn't matter if I don't have plans, if you're here I'm sure it'll be fun" he said honestly with a smile making Misty's face turn dangerously red. "Have I said something wrong?" he asked, usually Misty's red face meant anger.

"N-no" Misty said looking away from the peering eyes of both Ash and Pikachu. "A-anyway, how about I show you around Cerulean?" Misty offered off-handedly. "I-I'm saying it because you never got a chance last time" Misty explained uneasily, she had no idea of Ash's intentions, and being such a confusing figure that he was she couldn't quite ever come to fully understand him.

"Sure" Ash replied cheerily, Pikachu echoed this cheer making Misty smile.

"Great let's go then" she said trying to defuse the situation. Luckily for her Ash ask about the red face again which she felt slightly appreciative about.

As the exited the large structure, Misty took a deep breath, relishing the fresh air. "So how does it feel Ash?" Misty started some small talk as she led him towards the town centre.

"Hm" Ash asked the woman curiously, hands behind his head showing how perfectly relaxed her felt.

"Being the champion I mean" she sighed, Ash was always so stupid, but it was an endearing trait in Misty's eyes.

"Nothing's really changed" Ash said honestly. "Probably because I haven't been champion for even a week yet but..." Ash said with a smile. "I haven't ever felt so fulfilled" Ash admitted reluctantly. It was true though, his victory was after all the culmination of his dreams since childhood.

"Oh, then watch out, who knows perhaps I'll dethrone you" she joked making the young man smirk.

"Keep dreaming Mist" he replied, peeking at her with one open eye, admiring her small laugh from his comment. It made him happy without him even realising it.

"Just you wait I'll be a water Pokémon master before you know it" she declared, and Ash believed it, Misty was a determined young woman after all.

"What do you have to do to become a water Pokémon master anyway?" Ash asked curiously as they walked through a market place, ignoring the looks he was receiving from everyone, focusing entirely on Misty.

"I don't know" she replied, also ignoring the looks they were receiving. "I'll become one though" she claimed.

"Looking forward to it" Ash joked making the pair laugh. It was just the start of what would be a great day.

* * *

Ash and Misty left the water Pokémon museum with smiles on their face. Ash being the champion brought in a few crowds which in turn got him free entrance. The exhibit was actually interesting, especially to someone as Pokécrazy as Ash and as water Pokémon mad as Misty.

Misty realising Ash was enjoying himself just by being in her company, relaxed a little more and started to feel less tense. She realised despite the fact that they had grown up, they could still hang out together with ease, without having to overcomplicate things. "Hey what's that?" Misty heard Ash say in amazement before watching him head off to a nearby arcade game.

"_Still so childish" _she thought as she followed him, spotting a Pokémon battle simulator. "Ah I remember this" Misty exclaimed. "Remember the academy Ash?" she asked him and after a few seconds the pieces fixed into place in his mind.

"Oh I remember" Ash said with a little disdain, he remembered being terrible at the machine. "Want a go?" he asked the Gym leader.

"Hm" she murmured as she got in front of the machine. "You're on" she accepted his challenge making him grin, that very smile made her heart race a little.

As the pair chose their Pokémon a small crowd gathered, all of which cheered for Ash. Misty knew it wasn't because Ash was popular per say, it was because of her bad reputation as a merciless battler, it wasn't her fault that no-one was up for a challenge.

Needless to say, she once again managed to make a crowd disappointed by easily defeating the Pokémon champion, grinning at his sulking face. "Some champion" Misty taunted.

"I'd beat you in a real battle though" Ash claimed and for once Misty had no argument to give.

"Maybe" Misty replied, not giving him the satisfaction of victory.

"I don't want to play this anymore" he admitted, so Misty decided to challenge him to a few more games. She just enjoyed teasing him so much that she couldn't help herself. In all fairness Ash took it in good spirits.

* * *

Once they were done, Misty dragged Ash to a few more places, making conversation with him at every moment possible. It was times like these that Misty felt herself really falling for Ash, but she always denied these feelings that had engraved itself on her heart.

"Hey Ash" Misty asked softly, much to Ash's surprise.

"Yeah Mist?" he asked as he took a bite of the ice-cream he bought, eyes fixed on Misty.

"N-nothing" she replied, it was too embarrassing to talk about feelings with someone who clearly had no feelings for her.

"Ok then" Ash responded and carried on walking. "Want some?" he asked pointing his ice-cream at her, after a moment of deliberation she bit off more than Ash was expecting.

"Hey!" Ash said pulling it away sulkily making the young woman giggle inwardly, once she swallowed the ice-cream she decided she'd show him something.

"Hey Ash, have you ever seen the cape?" she asked the man who had opened his Pokégear, she guessed it was to check the time. The time read 5:00pm.

"Nope" Ash said honestly. "Cerulean has a cape?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep, follow me" she said and led him out of the town borders and over the Nugget Bridge. They walked in silence but Misty preferred that. It took thirty minutes but eventually Misty reached her favourite place in Cerulean.

"Wow" Ash gasped, the tone brought a soft smile to Misty's face, she was glad that he appreciated the sight. Even Pikachu squealed in awe.

"Sometimes I come out here when there is nothing else to do" Misty admitted as she stared out onto the water, squinting carefully as she spotted something approaching from a distance. "Hey Ash" she whispered pointing out at the waterscape. "That's not what I think it is, is it?" she asked the man, who pulled his cap down to block out the sun.

"Is that" Ash said walking to the edge of the rocky surface. "That's Suicune" Ash confirmed Misty's thoughts in a shocked tone. At hearing that the woman ran to his side to look out as the creature seemingly stood on the water.

As she stood in admiration of the gallant legendary water Pokémon Ash laughed a little. It wasn't an amused laugh, instead it sounded like an ironic laugh. "Ash" Misty chided as she pulled out her Pokégear and used the camera application to take a picture of the Pokémon that stood in all its glory before them.

"Sorry but, remember when we got lost on the way to New Bark Town all those years ago?" he asked the woman who nodded as she admired the shining Suicune. "The Town Where Winds of a New Beginning Blow" Ash recited the slogan of the area which the forest belonged to.

"So?" Misty asked kind of confused by what Ash was saying.

"Oh" Ash said as he looked away. "If Suicune arrives at new beginnings, what does it mean this time?" he asked her quietly. He didn't know what he was insinuating but Misty knew what it could certainly mean, which made her heart race like crazy and her face to turn a solid crimson.

"W-who knows" she replied as coolly as possible whilst admiring the beauty of this specific Suicune. Its shine exactly the same as the one she saw in Johto. "We meet again" she said to the Pokémon that looked up at them.

She locked eyes with the Suicune which howled as if replying to her before turning around and running away, she called out to it but it didn't turn back, and before she knew it the Suicune was gone.

"Bet you're glad you took me here" Ash told her, Misty merely nodded as she continued to watch the water, Ash's words of a new beginning replaying in her mind. As she stood entranced, Ash grabbed the Pokéball off his belt and slipped it into her hand, surprising her.

"W-what is this?" she asked shakily, everything was happening too fast for her.

"It's for the future water Pokémon master" Ash replied, Misty would have been captured by his words if she wasn't such a headstrong person.

"Why are you being so kind, what is it that you want Ash?" she asked him whilst still watching the water.

"There's a party that has been arranged in my honour" Ash said as he slipped his backpack off and pulled out an envelope. "I thought that if I got you a gift, you'd accept my invitation" Ash replied honestly, being unable to lie to Misty.

"Huh?" she sounded, turning to him to see him holding out a white envelope.

"I need a date" Ash said with very little composure, the words swirled inside her head.

"Wait, wait, wait" Misty said erratically as she backed away from the man. "You got me a gift so I would be your date?" she asked him in shock, not of the present, but the fact he was asking her to be his date.

"... Yeah" Ash replied in an uncool manner, seemingly embarrassed that he was admitting it.

"You're still the same old stupid Ash" she said in a soft, affectionate tone, something that Ash noticed was very unlike Misty. As he braced himself for a punch, he suddenly felt two slender arms wrap around him. "If you just asked I would have said yes Ash" she said before stopping for a moment "w-we're friends after all" she added, but Ash heard none of this, his mind too focused on Misty's affectionate gesture.

"W-wha" he strangled a reply, confused by why Misty hadn't punched him yet and in this confusion found himself falling backwards, Misty let out a startled cry as she fell with him.

When they hit the ground both were silent for a moment before Misty started laughing, having noticed the look on Ash's face, which was kind of twisted in terror. "Silly Ash" she said between giggles as she got back to her feet.

"Come on" she then said extended her hand to the young champion, helping him up.

As she watched him dust himself off and check if Pikachu was ok she smiled, remembering why she had originally had a crush on him, and why she still felt the same way, of course she still wasn't brave enough to admit it to anyone. "Hey Ash, it's getting late" she remarked as she pointed to the sun which was beginning to set. "I think we should get back to Cerulean, too many romantic scenes for me today" she said jokingly.

"What?" Ash asked for confirmation.

"Hm?" Misty replied with a smile, "I didn't say anything weird did I?" she asked gaining a shake of the head from Ash who assumed he misheard something. "Then let's go" she offered before walking ahead, awaiting the moment Ash would be walking at her side again.

* * *

By the time they reached Cerulean City the time was approaching 7:40pm, as they reached the Gym, Misty turned on her heel so she was face to face with the Kanto champion. "Ash what are you planning on now?" she asked curiously.

"I'll probably sleep at the Pokémon centre. It's too late to be flying over Mt. Moon" Ash reasoned.

"You could always stay in one of the spare rooms in the Gym" Misty offered, there was no alternate motive in what she said. She was just trying to save him some money.

"Nah it's fine, I wouldn't want to impose on your sisters anyway" Ash admitted sheepishly making Misty laugh before smiling.

"Ok then" Misty replied, knowing full well Ash wouldn't change his mind. "Have a safe trip tomorrow then" Misty said as she fingered the new Pokéball. "Hey Ash what is this Pokémon anyway?" she asked him curiously.

"Hm, well all I'll say is that you don't own one" Ash replied. "It's a surprise" he said with a grin.

"Fine" she said in mock anger, "I'll see you the night of the party then?" she asked shyly gaining a shake of the head from Ash.

"I'll pick you up... somehow" Ash replied unsurely before looking side to side nervously, feeling awkward in the process.

"Hehe" Misty giggled. "See you then Ash, goodnight" she offered him some reprieve.

"Yeah, see ya Mist" he replied and began to walk away, turning around to wave at her before heading off the Pokémon centre, feeling extremely happy inside for some reason.

* * *

After reaching the Pokémon centre, Ash was given a free room despite his protests. Regardless he wasn't going to win the battle against Nurse Joy so he surrendered and offered her a small thanks before retreating to his room.

As he approached the bed the young champion pulled out his Pokégear and found his mum's numbers. 'Hey mum' he started. 'Mission accomplished' he joked with a small smile emoticon. 'Night' he finally added before sending, once that was done he dived onto his bed.

"Hey Pikachu why were you so quiet today?" he asked the electric mouse which shrugged at him, but Ash knew Pikachu had a reason but it wasn't like he was going to find out anyway. So with that he tried to get some early sleep, so he could set out early in the morning.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Damn that's quite a long chapter to write, it was actually shorter than I was expecting, but I removed some of the more cliché scenes from the idea list so I only went with something a little less Cliché. I'm not really sure about this chapter since it's been a long time since I've written a scene with both Ash and Misty present so I hope I got the right feeling, they do argue a lot after all so I tried to implement that into mutual teasing.

I have to thank all my reviewers and readers, seriously I felt so good after reading what you thought of the story that I had to continue ASAP, so for those who read this, feel appreciative to those who reviewed.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try and write more soon.

-Aquilon


	4. Celadon Mishap

Responsibilities Chapter Four

_Still going strong, once again I appreciate all the reviews and comments I've been receiving from my readers._

Celadon Mishap

The last few days had come and gone and before Ash knew it was the day of the party. After getting some confirmation, Ash found out the exact time of the party was 8:00pm which meant he'd be staying in Celadon for the night.

As Ash had promised Misty he found a form of transport from an unlikely source, the Pokémon League Headquarters. Of course he wasn't too sure about his choice, though it wasn't like he could pull out now. "Hey mum, do you think Misty will mind?" Ash asked in regards to the transport making the woman laugh over the phone.

"Trust me Ash, she will absolutely love it" Delia replied putting extra emphasis on the love to the point where she practically sang it. "Remember to lock the door when you leave" Delia informed her son making him blanch slightly.

"Will do, seriously mum why did you have to leave a day early?" Ash asked her and she laughed in response. "Unlike somebody, I could only take a car, it takes a day to get to Celadon by car" Delia joked.

"Ok, ok, stop reminding me already" Ash said with a small laugh in his voice.

"You remember how to do your tie right?" Delia asked her son, making him wonder how old she thought he was, granted it did take him quite some time to learn.

"Yeah I remember" Ash assured her.

"Good, I want you to look ab-so-lu-tely perfect tonight" Delia said cheerfully. "I'm sure Misty would appreciate it" Delia continued with a nod, Ash could see her over the monitor and felt his eye twitch, wondering what in the world his mother was planning.

"Mum I'm sure Misty won't be going for perfection, you're taking things too far" Ash argued a little, the woman on the other end looked at him with wide eyes of disbelief for a moment before laughing at his comment which irritated him. Ever since he hit adulthood, Delia wasn't as agreeable and to be honest it didn't bother Ash much, but it was still a little embarrassing.

"What's so funny mum?" Ash asked impatiently as he looked to his Pokégear to see the time, it read 2:00pm, his ride was meant to arrive at 4:00pm so everything was fine by his timing.

"Nothing Ash" Delia said with a small smile.

"Ok then" Ash replied, not in the mood to play any of his mother's games.

"So sweetie, how is Brock getting to Celadon?" Delia asked, changing the conversation making Ash smirk.

"I heard he went with someone else from Pewter city, he should already be in Celadon City I guess" Ash answered, finding the surprised look on his mother's face amusing.

"Is it a date?" Delia asked in a half surprised, half excited tone.

"He didn't say" Ash replied. "Well anyway I think I need to get ready now Mum, see you later ok?" Ash said as he stood up.

"Ok, I'll greet you and Misty at the party, have fun!" Delia responded.

"Doing what?" Ash asked but he never got any reply because the screen turned blank, his mum having already hung up.

"Stupid mum" he replied, but he didn't mean it really.

And at that he went to try on the new tux that his mother had forced him to purchase.

* * *

Misty, unlike Ash couldn't just take things easy. To her it was her first official date with the person she'd had feelings for since childhood, granted she didn't consciously admit it, despite this, things were getting pretty hectic at the Cerulean Gym. It got even worse because her sisters, bar Daisy who also had an invitation as well, got involved in the whole 'getting ready' deal.

Misty could see that her sisters, Violet and Lily were somewhat jealous that she'd somehow gotten into the big party where a lot of big names would be. Nevertheless, instead of taking it out on her, they decided to project their feelings into making Misty look 'absolutely fabulous' in their own words, something she somewhat appreciated. This was because unlike them who were part of the sensational sisters, Misty was just a gym leader who often dressed in casual, practical clothes instead of up market dresses and gowns.

"Like stay still already little sis" Violet, the oldest of the pair said in an airheaded tone as she began to systematically brush Misty's shoulder length hair. Occasionally Violet's brushing would make Misty flinch as she uncovered one of the many knots in her red tresses, something which both shocked and appalled the older Waterflower.

"Like Misty how could you let your hair get into this mess" Violet complained annoyingly, frustrating Misty to no end, but she didn't voice her opinions, because she knew despite Violet's harshness, she was only trying to do her best for Misty.

"Well some of us don't spend our entire day in the beauty salon" Misty replied in mild frustration as she observed herself in the mirror, feeling proud of the dress she'd picked out. Granted she did have to get Daisy, Violet and Lily's opinion before going ahead with it, when she got the green light she bought it in a flash.

"You could still do your hair you know" Violet replied in that airheaded tone again as she uncovered another knot, causing the red head to flinch painfully again.

"Ouch, hey that hurts" Misty complained making the youngest sensational sister laugh.

"Stop being such a baby Misty" she told her as she began to do Misty's nails. "Stay still, I don't want to waste any of this" the pink haired Lily said with concern, for her nail polish, not Misty. "Like I don't even get what you see in that guy anyway, he's not even that hot" Lily said absentmindedly making Misty bite her lower lip a little before getting slapped lightly on the head.

"No biting your lips Misty" Violet chided making Misty's eye twitch.

"_I might end up killing them at this rate" _Misty thought, nearly making a fist, before swiftly remembering she wasn't allowed to move. "I don't focus on looks!" Misty said making both sisters laugh.

"So you do like him" Violet said making Misty flinch for a different reason.

"N-no I didn't say that" Misty protested weakly as Lily finished with her nails and laughed at her.

"Aw lil Misty getting all embarrassed, don't try to kid any of us, you're not an innocent little flower" Lily said with a wink and Misty looked away, annoyed that her sister was right about that tidbit of information. "Anyways Vi you done with her hair?" Lily asked her older sister getting a little nod.

"It's like totally done Lil" Violet replied stepping back admiring her work, as Misty's hair cascaded beautifully. "Now lil sis don't mess it up this time" Violet said in a stern tone which just irritated the youngest Waterflower.

"Fine" Misty said as Lily got her make-up kit, her eyes gleaming excitedly.

"Now little sis, let me do your make-up" Lily said making Misty gulp, she hated wearing make-up and looked perfectly fine without it, something her sisters actually secretly envied. "That Ash won't be able to keep his hands off you when I'm done" Lily said excitedly making Misty blush ever so slightly.

"Aw look at her" Violet continued teasing her little sister.

"Will you guys cut it out!" Misty shouted, but it didn't intimidate either of them, instead they just glared at her.

"What did we say?" both of them said at the exact same time.

"Stay still" Misty said in defeat as the smiled at her.

"Good" Lily said before getting back to work.

* * *

Ash now dressed in his tux waited impatiently at the window, Pikachu one his shoulder watching out in curiosity, wondering what exactly his master was looking for. "Any time now" Ash said as he looked at the time which read 4:00pm. "Damn I'm actually kind of nervous about this Pikachu" Ash admitted.

"Piika!" Pikachu said in a reassuring way making Ash laugh.

"You always know the best thing to say, you know that Pikachu" Ash said in a half serious, half sarcastic way before petting his favourite Pokémon. "Thanks buddy" he followed up as a loud sound suddenly filled the area.

"I think that's it!" Ash proclaimed, shoving his Pokégear deep into his pocket as he exited the house, locking the door behind him like he promised he would.

"Piiiiii-kaa" Pikachu said in wonderment as he looked at their form of transport.

"This is going to be awesome" Ash said as he approached it.

"Mr. Ketchum, hop on board" the pilot said once he had landed, Ash excitedly ran up to the machine and hopped in.

"_I can't believe I'm going in a freaking Helicopter"_ Ash thought excitedly as the Pilot lifted off and set off for Cerulean _"I wonder what Mist will think" _Ash wondered, secretly hoping she'd love it.

* * *

The time was 6:00pm and Misty was really starting to panic, slightly wondering if her efforts in putting up with her sisters were worth it. "How will we get to Celadon in two hours?" Misty wondered out loud.

As she paced back and forth she suddenly heard a loud noise, but she ignored it in favour of the text she received on her Pokégear. 'Hey Mist, come outside' the text read. At the exact same moment she heard her sisters gasp out in wonderment.

"Like, Oh, MY, GOD!" Misty heard Violet gasp, her face was at the window, this was followed by Lily's own interpretation.

"Like Wow!" Lily declared which got Misty curious, so before she walked outside, she decided to check the window, the sight made her eyes widen in an instant.

"I-is that?" Misty asked her sisters as she held the skirt of her dress, "A helicopter?" Misty said out loud as she rushed to the door with much difficulty on her high heels.

As she exited the gym she was met by the sight of well presented Ash standing by a Helicopter with a massive grin on his face. "Ash?" she asked as she walked over to him slowly, making sure not to get anything on her dress in the process.

"Found something" Ash said cheekily with a childish smile making Misty gasp.

"How?" she asked no-one in particular as she admired him in his expensive looking tux, she also noticed that he actually took the effort to style his hair for once. _"I guess he also made an effort" _Misty thought as she finally reached the young champion.

"Wow Mist you look" he thought as he gave Misty a one over. Her one shoulder, long pink and red dress clung tightly to her form. Accompanying it she had a pink shawl and a necklace which she reluctantly borrowed from Lily. The upper section of the dress was pink, whilst the skirt part was a deep crimson, to say Ash was impressed was an understatement.

"Uhhh wow" was all Ash could say, to be honest he wanted to say beautiful but he wasn't such a smooth talker. Despite this Misty was just happy she made an impression him.

"Thanks" Misty said with a light blush before changing the subject. "Hey Ash can we get into the helicopter, these heels are killing me" Misty said before pulling up the dress a little making Ash form an O with his mouth.

"Ok then" Ash said hopping into the helicopter before grabbing her by the hand and gently pulling her in. The moment she got into the vehicle she spotted her sisters run out of the gym.

"Have fun you two" Lily said with a wink making Misty glare from the window, yet despite this reaction she felt silently appreciative of her, for fixing her up in such a way that would impress even the dense Ash.

"We will" Ash replied making the two sisters look to each other slyly and Misty facepalm, she really hoped she was being dense as usual, otherwise it was even more embarrassing.

"Remember to say hi to Daisy for us if you see her, oh and give our numbers out to super hotties!" Violet told her sister who pretended not to hear her because of the Helicopter taking off.

"Wow your sisters are still like that?" Ash asked in regards to their vanity and obsession with looks.

"Age has made them get worse, at least Daisy is ok" Misty said in regards to her favourite, and eldest sister.

"That's probably because she's dating Tracey" Ash said as they took to the skies. "How did they of all people get together" Ash asked the red head curiously, Pikachu seemed curious as well by the looks he was giving Misty.

"It was actually Daisy who came onto him" Misty joked. "I don't know what exactly happened but apparently she fell for him after he did some chores at the Gym" Misty said honestly, when Ash gave her a look of disbelief she pushed the point saying "I'm being serious!" making him laugh.

"Seriously though, Daisy?" Ash asked before remarking "I always thought she'd be into a badboy type for some reason" making Misty laugh.

"You're getting it wrong Ash, Lily and Violet are like that, Daisy is a little different, she likes nice guys" Misty said with a grin, "I'd say I take after her as well" before going silent for a moment. "Uh forget that" Misty said quietly.

"Hm?" Ash mumbled.

"N-nothing" she said making the pilot chuckle just as they reached the correct altitude, leaving Misty suitably embarrassed.

* * *

The flight was one hour in and the sun was setting, giving the pair a beautiful view of Saffron City which they were currently flying above. "Wow everything is so pretty from above" Misty said in wonder as she looked out the window, Ash copied her and looked over her shoulder, when he saw the sight he found himself unable to disagree.

"This is absolutely amazing" Misty said with a dreamy voice which made Ash smile, one eye on Misty instead of looking outside.

"Yeah, it is amazing alright" Ash said, still looking at Misty, when she noticed he was staring at her when he said it she knew her cheeks were turning pink.

"_Thanks Vi, Lil" _Misty thought whilst donning a wide smile and looking back out the window. "Hey Ash look at that" Misty said pointing to nothing in particular, when his head poked over her shoulder she took the moment to take a peek at his face up close.

"Huh what exactly?" Ash asked.

"Ah it's nothing" Misty said dreamily before turning back to the window, completely unaware that Pikachu was watching them with an almost happy look on his face.

* * *

As Ash had planned, the Helicopter landed on the building which the party was being held at. "Whew just in time" Ash said as he got out of the vehicle, before helping Misty out and thanking the pilot.

"We're so high up" Misty remarked, taking one look at the skyline Celadon before she spotted Ash walking slowly towards the roof of the door. "Hey Ash wait up!" she complained and as if on cue Ash stopped and waited for her to reach his side, holding his arm out.

"What are you doing Ash?" she asked the man.

"I thought it was a custom for women to link arms with their date" Ash said sheepishly before putting his arm down, this made Misty's heart beat faster, just because of how innocently he said it.

"I'd be honoured" she said as she took his arm and moved closer to his body as he led her into the hotel from the roof.

* * *

It didn't take long until the pair were on the ground floor, no security came to stop them, as if it was planned from the start, something that Ash felt appreciative about. With their arms linked the pair walked into the large dining hall which as expected was full of people wearing expensive suits and dresses. There was food on nearby tables which Ash had never even seen before and there was also a small stage which a few musicians were on, playing classical music.

"Wow" Misty remarked as Ash guided her into the room, he would have said the same thing, but he was too transfixed by the sign that read congratulations new champion. This moment of awe didn't last long though because before either of them noticed Delia appeared, with her trademark smile.

"Aw you two!" she said happily before turning to Misty. "You look absolutely beautiful Misty" Delia complimented before smiling "right Ash?" Delia asked her son, jolting him into action instantly.

"Uh yeah" he said, still in a bit of daze from the sign, this once again made Misty's heart pound a little.

"Aw you look like such a darling couple" Delia gushed "I wish I could take a picture" she said as she continued to pile on the praise.

"Please Mrs. Ketchum you don't have to be so kind" Misty offered making the woman pout a little.

"I was being honest dear, you two look brilliant, I'd say so even if it wasn't you and my son" Delia told Misty making her turn beat red.

"Hey mum can you stop it, can't you see you're embarrassing Mist?" Ash asked his mum who smiled at him knowingly.

"You don't see so embarrassed though Ash" she teased as she watched Ash unknowingly give someone the eye for staring at Misty, which made her smile softly.

"That's nothing to be embarrassed about" Ash responded, shutting up instantly when he realised the implications of what he was saying.

"Oooh" Delia teased as she looked at the satisfied look on Misty's face. "I'll just leave you two alone then, you should have a dance while you're at it" Delia said in a sing song voice before walking away feeling very satisfied.

"Uh what was all that about?" Ash muttered as he felt Misty tighten the grip she had on his arm.

"It's probably nothing" Misty lied with a soft tone and a small smile. "Come on let's go get something from over there!" Misty then said, changing the subject in the process, feeling absolutely giddy that Ash wasn't embarrassed by the suggestion of them being a couple.

* * *

After getting some good from a nearby table, it wasn't long before Ash and Misty saw a sight which left them absolutely breathless. No it wasn't a world famous movie star or model. It was in fact a sight oh so much rarer.

Standing in front of them, just across the hall was Brock, now that in itself wasn't shocking, but the thing that made Ash and Misty almost choke on their food was the sight of Brock smiling happily as two women glared at each other whilst fighting for his attention. "I-I can't believe it" Misty said, feeling her legs go weak.

"T-this can't be happening" Ash thought in a similar state of disbelief.

"D-do you know those two women Ash?" Misty asked, somewhat scared of what answer Ash might give, this occurrence could mean anything, for example the Apokélypse.

"Y-yeah" Ash said pointing to a woman with long black and red hair. "That is Lucy, the Pike Queen" Ash said as his finger moved to the other woman. "And that's Solidad, she won the Kanto grand festival four years back" Ash said before gulping "t-this is weird" Ash said backing away slightly.

"Should I go other there?" Misty asked as she watched Brock say something reminiscent of 'ladies, ladies there's no need to fight over me'. The mere notion made her blood boil, she didn't know why but a popular Brock was an annoying Brock.

"No let's just give him this moment. They're probably drunk or something" Ash said backing away before turning around and crashing right into someone.

"Hey!" the person said as he hit the floor "watch where you're-"he said as he looked at Ash and stopped. "It's you!" the man said getting to his feet. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you Ash the man said happily,

Ash stared at this person and thought something was similar about him and then it clicked. "Wait you're, no you can't be" Ash said as the man grinned sheepishly. "Jimmy, the man who beat Lance right?" he said getting a furious nod from the man.

"Yup" he said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off before turning around "huh, where'd Marina go" he said in a disappointed tone.

"Marina?" Misty said quietly before clicking her fingers "you mean the contest master, or is it mistress?" Misty asked the man excitedly, after all Marina was a world famous idol who had the most gorgeous Feraligatr she'd ever seen.

"Yep, we're childhood friends" he said with a smile "and she's kind of my girlfriend" he said shyly making Misty go 'aw' at how much he resembled Ash. "Anyways, Ash I've wanted to meet you ever since you drew with Vincent at the Silver Conference" he said excitedly.

"I don't remember a Vincent" Ash said honestly.

"Oh I know, he went by Jackson in the tournament for some reason, his name got mixed up or something" Jimmy said excitedly. "Anyways we're also childhood friends and that was an intense battle so I just had to meet you and well here you are!" Jimmy said in an extremely hyper manner, reminiscent of hyper-active Ash.

"Oh him" Ash said coming to a recollection "shiny Magneton?" Ash asked getting a nod from the Johto champion. "Wow" Ash said as he quickly struck up a friendship with the Johto champion.

"Oh Jimmy there you are!" all three of them heard a soft feminine voice call out which attracted the trio's attention.

"Oh Marina about time!" Jimmy exclaimed. "You look great" he complimented gaining a small blush from the woman.

"You already told me that" she said happily as she joined the conversation. "Oh you're Ash the one who drew with Vinny!" Marina said, gaining a small glare from Jimmy, who Misty assumed still felt at threat by Vincent.

"Yup!" Ash replied in a similar manner to Jimmy. "This is Misty" he said pointing to his date and favourite female friend. "She's aiming to be a water Pokémon master" Ash added the needless information.

"Ooh" Marina said as she turned to Misty and smiled. "Have you got a Feraligatr?" she asked Misty who shook her head sadly. "What Pokémon do you have?" she asked curiously making Misty's face brighten instantly.

"_Oh my god, Marina is talking with me" _she thought excitedly as she recited every single Pokémon she had with the contest master, she seemed genuinely interested and that was a bonus to Misty who could talk about water Pokémon all day long if she had to.

The conversation went on for quite a while and before they knew it, they had struck up quite the friendship. "Hey can I have your Pokégear number?" Jimmy asked Ash all of a sudden making the Kanto champion smile.

"Sure, can I have yours too?" Ash asked the man who nodded profusely.

Misty and Marina seeing this decided to also trade numbers, something that satisfied Misty immensely.

"Well I think we'll go now it was nice meeting-" Jimmy said as he turned around just to crash into another person which sent him back to the floor.

"Hey watch where you're going!" the man Jimmy crashed in a voice that was so grumpy that Ash was able to pick it out instantly.

"Paul?" Ash said gaining a smirk from the man in return. _"Yeah it's definitely Paul alright"_ Ash thought sarcastically as he looked at his always so smug rival.

"It's about time Ash" Paul said in his deep voice confusing the new champion right from the get go.

"Huh?" Ash said in confusion making the purple haired man scoff at his idiocy.

"Hey aren't you going to apologise?" Jimmy cut in, but Paul just ignored him and continued to look at Ash.

"Becoming a champion obviously" Paul said before turning around. _"Wait is that his way of saying congratulations when we meet in person?" _Ash wondered curiously. Moments later another familiar voice caught his ear.

"Hey Paul, Paul!" the voice called out to the Sinnoh champion making him flinch uncharacteristically.

"What?" Paul asked 'angrily' making the young woman laugh.

"You promised not to get into any arguments with Ash when you got here" the woman said making Ash grin almost mockingly at the Sinnoh champion.

"What are you doing here Dawn?" Misty asked the woman who was scolding the Sinnoh champion.

"Oh Paul here 'asked' me to be his date, so I thought I might as well, after all I can show of my new line of work" Dawn said as she did a little twirl, showing off the new dress she made.

"Wow you made that?" Misty asked, genuinely amazed.

"Yep" she said with a grin before observing how Misty was still latched onto Ash's arm. "Ooh Ash, I always suspected something after the lure incident, but I didn't expect this!" Dawn said in a teasing voice.

"Oh gee, nice to see you too Dawn" Ash said sarcastically in the hopes of taking credibility from her argument, needless to say it didn't work.

"Hey is everyone just going to continue ignoring me?" complained Jimmy.

"Shut up" Paul told the Johto champion gruffly making Dawn turn to him and give him a stern stare with silenced him instantly.

Ash seeing this leaned over to Misty and whispered "Hey Mist, I think Paul is whipped" making the young woman giggle.

"What are you laughing at?" Paul asked the couple angrily which just made the two of them burst into laughter, surprising the entire group.

"What's so funny?" Dawn asked unsurely prompting Misty to make whipping noises, which turned Dawn's creamy complexion beet red in the process. Jimmy who caught on also did a whipping noise but this was met with Paul's furious glare, needless to say Jimmy shut up quite fast.

"I'm going" Paul said in a stroppy tone as he began to walk away, Ash could tell though he was embarrassed by what they were doing. "Oh one last thing" he said as he came to a stop. "I'll battle you at the next meeting of champions Ash" he said before continuing to walk away, followed by Dawn who apologised for him before leaving.

"Well that was eventful" Misty said as she stopped laughing.

"What a jerk" Jimmy said as he got to his feet.

"Oh don't worry, he's just bitter that I beat him in the Lily of the Valley conference" Ash said will a small grin.

"Oh I watched that match it was awesome!" Jimmy said making Marina face palm.

"Here he goes again" Marina said to Misty making the red head giggle as she understood exactly what she meant. "Oh well it'll be over soon so why don't we just talk some more" Marina offered making the water Pokémon specialist smile before engaging in a conversation about the complexity of Pokémon contests.

* * *

After a while Ash and Misty stopped talking to the Johto celebrities and went back over to the dining tables. "Oh what's that" Misty asked as she picked up a glass and consumed its contents instantly. "Woah" Misty said. "That's quite strong" she said in regards to the beverage making Ash sigh.

"Watch out, I don't want to be lugging you around everywhere" Ash joked making the woman flush.

"Whatever" she said childishly making Ash laugh.

As Misty and Ash made small talk they were interrupted by a small woman who was around Misty's height with short lavender coloured hair, Ash instantly recognised her and smiled instantly. "Anabel" he said happily making Misty feel somewhat jealous by the familiarity.

"Ash" she said with a smile. "I just had to say congratulations on your victory, I was cheering for you all along" she said softly making Ash smile, Misty on the other hand stared at the woman suspiciously and got even closer to Ash.

"Who's this?" the woman named Anabel asked Ash in regards to Misty.

"Oh this is Misty" Ash said "she's my date for the night" Ash said making Anabel flinch slightly.

"Oh, are you two, together?" she asked making Ash shake his head.

"No, she's a friend of mine" he said before turning to Misty. _"That's what you would have wanted me to say right Mist?" _he thought towards the red head who seemed to look angry after he said that.

"Really?" Anabel asked hopefully.

"Uh yeah" Ash replied to the woman who smiled instantly.

"_Oh crap" _Misty thought knowing exactly what the woman was up to. _"Act nice Misty, nice and calm" _Misty thought as she smiled at Anabel.

"Nice to meet you" Misty forced out making Anabel smile at her.

"Me too" Anabel said before turning back to Ash. "Say Ash do you want to come to the battle tower sometime, I haven't had a challenge in a while and I thought you'd be perfect" she asked the young man with a look of hope in her eyes.

"Yeah sure" Ash replied with a smile. "When I get the time I'll go see you at the battle tower" Ash replied making the woman grin with joy.

"O-ok" she replied as she turned to Misty, sensing the negative emotions just oozing off of her. "I think I'll get going now" Anabel said feeling quite intimidated. "It was nice seeing both of you" she said before quickly retreating making Ash feel confused.

"That's weird" Ash said.

"What's weird?" Misty said in an angered tone.

"Huh did I say something wrong?" Ash asked Misty with a look of concern on his face.

"No of course not!" she replied finally letting go of his arm and walking away angrily, leaving Ash wondering what the hell he had said that upset her.

* * *

After talking with some random guests whilst searching for Misty who had disappeared, Ash like everyone else stopped doing everything because Mr. Goodshow had got onto the stage.

The old man once acknowledging that everyone was silent walked up to the microphone and made a toast to Ash, congratulating him on becoming the new champion, to which Ash received a round of applause, making him blush sheepishly. Afterwards Ash was forced to make a small speech, something that he wasn't expecting.

As Ash approached the stage, he kept thinking about what he should say and in the end just allowed himself to go with what came to mind first. "Wow, a speech um" Ash started lamely before laughing a little "I wasn't quite expecting that" he said gaining a few small laughs from those present.

"_So far so good, just imitate those on TV, thank people Ash, thank them!" _Ash roared in his mind as he smiled nervously. "Well to start with I'd like to thank all those present for their kind words" Ash said inwardly congratulating himself as he said it.

"Secondly I'd like to give a big thanks to all those who have supported me over the years, just a few present today are my best friend Brock" he said pointing to the man who was still being surrounded by two women. "My mum for her constant support" he said with a smile on his face making the woman blush a little.

"And of course, my date for the night" Ash said off the top of his head, searching the crowd for Misty, when he found her he smiled and pointed to her. "Misty Waterflower, for being there for me from practically the beginning of my adventure" Ash said making the woman turn red at how affectionately he said the last comment, before turning away and crossing her arms. A few people whispered how sweet it sounded, more specifically the women of the crowd, which included his mother of course.

"A-anyway, that's all I can think of" he said gaining a few more laughs. "Oh and I'll make sure to do Kanto proud as its new champion, thank you once again" he said before bowing a little gaining another round of applause. _"Whew that was lucky" _Ash thought as he got off the stage.

"Hey Ash" Misty said the moment he stepped off the stage.

"You okay Mist?" Ash asked instantly, still worried that he'd upset her.

"You're forgiven" Misty said before looking away embarrassedly.

"What did I do?" Ash asked making Misty give him a small glare. "Wait it doesn't matter, I don't need to know" Ash said in fear of his life, at that moment he felt Misty grab his hand with her own.

"Come on, let's dance or something" Misty said shyly dragging him over towards the dancefloor.

"But I don't know how to dance" Ash protested weakly making the woman laugh a little.

"It doesn't matter, I'll teach you" she said as she grabbed another wine glass from a nearby table and consumed its contents quickly, concerning Ash briefly before they reached the dancefloor, where his concerns were replaced with other types of 'concern'.

* * *

Meanwhile as Ash danced, Delia watched from afar, sitting on a chair admiring how her matchmaking had paid off, well nearly. As she sat there observing she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "Care for a dance miss?" the man asked Delia from behind, when she turned around both herself and the man turned pale.

"Derek" she said in a low growl making the man flinch and walk back a pace.

"D-Delia, I-I, Oh god sorry you looked so different" Derek, Ash's father and former champion of Kanto stuttered lamely, half in fear, half in shock. "You're still so beautiful you know" he said before looking away. "I-I'll just go now" Derek said, seeking escape, but before he could he felt Delia gripping his suit quite tightly.

"_Oh crap she's going to kill me" _Derek thought as Delia looked him in the eye. "You stay right there mister" she said grabbing his hands with her own. "Let's 'dance'" she said in a way that sounded almost cold to Derek who feared even more for his safety.

As the two began to dance, Derek noticed how Delia aimed her extremely sharp heels towards his toes at every possible moment, even succeeding occasionally, nearly making him call out in agony, only keeping it in so he didn't cause a scene. "You bastard" Delia whispered to him making him gulp, he hadn't seen Delia so angry in such a long time, granted he hadn't seen her for a long time anyway.

"Delia what are you doing, you're seriously going to break my toes" Derek whispered back in a hushed tone making her smile almost, blissfully.

"Oh that was my intention" she said coldly holding up her wedding finger to show him that she still wore the wedding band, much to his surprise. "I have every right to 'punish' my own husband, right?" she whispered dangerously.

"Uh, wait please I have a reason" Derek said as the music stopped signalling for the dancing to stop.

"Uh-huh" Delia said, letting go of him and stepping back a few paces. "Derek why did you have to" she started but Derek put his hand up.

"Because I'm stupid" he replied honestly before walking away from her. "I won't tell Ash anything, I don't deserve to be his father" he continued, almost upsetting Delia, if she wasn't so furious.

And with that Derek escaped the scene, leaving Delia all alone again. Feeling down the woman made her way back to one of the seats to look for signs of her son and Misty, when she spotted them she noticed Misty still consuming a fair bit of alcohol, as was her son. The sight concerned her, but she couldn't really talk to anyone now, she was just so angry.

"You alright?" Delia heard her long time friend, and teacher ask.

"Oh Professor" she said before looking downwards "I-it's nothing" she said in a downtrodden tone.

"You didn't see Derek did you?" he asked in a quiet voice making her nod, after that Oak found that he couldn't say anything else, Delia was just that way about Derek, and he couldn't blame her either.

* * *

As the party started coming to a close, Ash realised that he was in no fit state to continue drinking, but Misty somehow kept convincing him to drink more and more, and before he knew it, he was out of the hall, with Misty in arm talking a guy at the counter.

"Hey, can I order a room?" Ash asked making Misty laugh drunkenly.

"You don't 'order' a room Ash, it's not food" she said slightly incoherently, to be honest it came out slurred.

"Uh sir I don't think I can" the man behind the counter said.

"I am the champion!" Ash declared as he slammed his hand on the desk, making the man sigh. "I demand a room!" he continued making Misty cheer before laughing her head off.

In retrospect, this is where Ash realised he made the biggest mistake.

"Ok sir" the man said. "make it double?" he asked and Ash just nodded. "Yesh" he replied and somehow managed to get his hands on a card key.

"Hey Mist itsh the top floor" he said making her laugh.

Before they knew it they were in front of 'their' hotel room.

"Youu first" Ash said as he opened the door with the card key after multiple attempt.

"Woooow" Misty said in drunken wonderment. "Thish is amazing" she said as she stumbled towards the massive bed and collapsed on it, giggling in the process. "Hey Ash, come over here" she said in a slurred manner, beckoning over the drunk champion.

As Ash made his way over he tripped and landed just above Misty. "Heyyy" she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Ashh" she said softly before pulling the man down and kissing him hard on the lips. "Have you heard what happensh in Sheladon, staysh in Sheladon?" she asked the drunken Ash huskily after pulling away.

To be honest, even Ash had enough sense to shake his head but that didn't stop Misty from reaching for his top and unbuttoning it. "Wait Mist thish is bad" Ash protested, but it was a losing battle and before he knew it, he made the mistake that would affect the rest of his life.

He slept with Misty.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Holy shit that's a long chapter and I bet you all know now why this is called Responsibilities, and you know what Ash's responsibility is :O, either way I am amazed that I even completed this chapter today, but I guess it's thanks to all you amazing reviewers.

Btw some of the spelling mistakes are on purpose, I am crap at drunk speak .

Finally I bet you're wondering what the heck happened to Pikachu he snuck off and let Ash do his thing and spent his time with Professor Oak.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

-Aquilon.


	5. It doesn't always stay in Celadon

Responsibilities Chapter Five

_Holy crap, fifth chapter! And sorry if things seem rushed, but now we can finally slow down the pace to something normal, the event that occurred at the end of chapter four shapes the rest of the story, once hitting it I can finally develop Ash and Misty's relationship and the other themes I have planned, thanks for all the reviews by the way, they are very encouraging._

What happens in Celadon, Doesn't always stay in Celadon

As Ash woke up he realised It didn't take the senses gained from exploring the world to know something was seriously wrong at times. His head was a wreck to put it mildly; light burned his vision whenever he dared open his eyes and more worryingly, his nose caught whiff of a familiar scent that only meant one thing.

"_Ugh" _Ash's mind called out, as he rolled over slightly on the comfy surface which he assumed to be a bed. _"Not good" _Ash thought as he rolled over once more, this time flat on his back. _"Don't tell me I" _he thought as he once again opened his eye, this time only slightly.

After a small blur he caught sight of a bodies outline, since it couldn't be his body, he knew his suspicions were correct. "Shit" Ash dryly muttered a rare curse. _"Who?" _Ash questioned as he sized up how much trouble he was going to be in. He had a sneaky suspicion of who it was, but his memory was also groggy. _"Where's Pikachu?" _he wondered as he opened his other eye painfully, looking down at the floor, only to see a pair of discarded boxer shorts, his own to be precise.

"_No wonder I felt cold" _he thought as he slowly moved a leg out of the bed, and agilely used his toes to pluck up the pair of boxers. _"Gotta get out of here" _he thought in a panic as he somehow manoeuvred the boxers on, feeling almost proud of his accomplishment.

"_Should I risk it?" _he asked himself in a moment of curiosity. He knew deep down who was sleeping next to him, but he had to know before he bailed in fear of his life, if it was whom he suspected he knew the outcome would be a catastrophe.

So as he swallowed carefully, Ash moved onto his side and got ready to pull back the covers when I voice reached the young champions ears. "Ash" a sleepy voice whispered dreamily making the black haired man flinch. _"Shit, no, no, no" _he thought as he recognized the voice, too scared to realise how content the woman sounded as she said his name.

Still out of morbid curiosity, Ash had to take a look, so after regaining his bearings, he grabbed the duvet and pulled it gently in an attempt not to wake the woman. The first sign of impending doom was the orange hair that Ash was actually secretly enamoured with, but the icing on the cake was when he pulled the duvet a little further to spot the face of his long-time dear friend.

Now confirmed, Ash's eyes began to bulge. He wasn't sure if he should feel mortified or slightly impressed that someone as beautiful as Misty would even consider touching him, let alone going all the way. _"It's clear we were both heavily drunk" _Ash thought as if it was a form of solace, yet he knew that would not save him from Misty's wrath.

"_Should I play dead?" _he wondered, knowing he'd probably wake the woman if he strayed too far. _"Perhaps like the rare Ursuring she'll just leave me be if she thinks I'm asleep" _Ash thought as he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. _"Yeah, I'll be safe, nothing will happen, we'll just ignore this and continue being friends..." _he thought as he thought about happier thoughts, like beating Red and celebrating his victory, but these thoughts didn't last long because Ash's mind didn't work that way.

As if trying to inflict torture on the young man, his brain suddenly started to remember small fragments of the night before, the helicopter ride, meeting Jimmy and subsequently Paul as well, promising to visit Anabel, making a speech and of course, getting drunk and booking a room. Yet his memories didn't stop there much to the champion's dismay.

He then got to watch him and Misty tumble into the room eventually falling onto the bed, he then saw the sight of Misty pulling him down and kissing him, much to his surprise since he assumed it was probably himself who initiated everything. This was still ok territory for Ash, soon after however it ventured into dangerous grounds.

He watched sights of him and Misty going at it through his own eyes, now this was what he didn't want to see. Not because it was unattractive, in fact, now that he remembered her body, he had to say it was more attractive than he would have imagined. Yet this was a bad thing, because he would never be able to unsee it, no matter how hard he would try, he knew he probably wouldn't be able to look at the woman the same way again.

"_I'm such a idiot" _he thought as he kept his eyes closed, remembering one vital detail in the process. _"Inside, no protection, oh... god" _his mind cried out, wondering why whenever he did make mistakes they had to be cataclysmic._ "Please just a few happy thoughts" _he asked his own mind, ignoring how insane it would sound if anyone could hear his brain chatting away.

As he continued his fake sleeping he felt the woman beside him stir, he knew it was the moment of truth. First up was a groan of pain which made Ash feel sympathetic, noting that she did drink more than he did. Then he felt the woman roll over which was followed by a surprised gasp which made Ash tighten his eyes so much they wouldn't open at all.

Moments passed at yet something was wrong, there was no horrified scream which Ash expected, nor was there any sharp pain which indicated he'd been hit. No there was just silence, which was the one thing Ash's over imaginative mind didn't think of. _"What's going on?" _Ash thought, feeling kind of frightened by the silence.

"Ash?" the woman asked kind of sleepily, but Ash didn't respond, he just kept quiet, playing dead as he'd planned. "Ash?" she whispered this time, shaking his back slightly, yet once more Ash didn't respond. _"Going well" _he thought as he felt Misty shift closer to him.

"You know you were really good" she whispered before giggling, thinking he was asleep when she said it. This was quite the egoboost for the young champion, but more worryingly it paved the way to the worst possible outcome.

"_She remembers" _he thought as he kept his eyes shut, knowing he couldn't just open his eyes now, otherwise it would incite fury in the woman.

Moments passed and then something finally sparked Ash into action, no it wasn't overwhelming fear, in fact it was brought on by pure shock. This was because Misty had leaned over him, and kissed his cheek before giggling, which made his eyes dart open causing Misty to scream slightly before retreating back to her side of the bed. "Ash!" she screamed from her position wrapping the bedding around her body.

"Uhh" Ash mumbled lamely, searching for something to say but failing miserably.

"How long have you been awake!" she screamed at him, sounding kind of violated as she said it.

"Would you be angry if I said the last half an hour?" he asked sheepishly as he slowly edged himself out of the bed and onto the soft, carpeted floor.

"Yes" she responded in a level tone, glaring at his back which somehow conjured a small chill to run up Ash's back. "Why would you pretend to be asleep?" she asked him sounding not angry, but instead offended.

"I thought you'd try to kill me" Ash responded honestly gaining a pillow to the back of the head for his troubles. "Hey!" Ash shouted indignantly but this was followed by another pillow, silencing him.

"Be quiet for just one moment Mr. Ash. Ketchum" she said with a lot of emphasis on the start of each word. When satisfied that he was quiet she continued. "I am not that angry" she said, surprising Ash for a moment before he just had to make another comment.

"Yeah, your screaming totally gave off that impression Mist" Ash said sarcastically getting another pillow to the back of the head and a low growl from the red head.

"Shut up" she said before wincing in pain, clearly still affected by the hangover. "Look you just surprised me, I'm just annoyed that you didn't wake me up" she said as she got off the bed and grabbed her discarded clothes of the floor.

"Do you really remember everything?" Ash asked quietly making her sigh.

"Yeah" she replied calmly as she walked into the nearby bathroom and shut the door making Ash laugh momentarily, he didn't know why; he guessed it was because he felt stupid. After all, him and Misty were adults, they shouldn't freak out over such a thing, so he guessed he was just being immature.

Meanwhile, Misty stood in the bathroom and inwardly congratulated herself for her act. In actuality she was worried and had put on an act for Ash. She used his responses to find the best way to respond, and by his reaction she guessed she had done a good job. _"He was pretty amazing though" _she thought to herself before shaking her head.

"_He didn't use protection" _she then thought, which should have been pretty obvious, after all both of them were completely hammered when they reached the hotel room. _"What should I say?" _she thought to herself, wondering how much Ash had remembered. _"Maybe I should test him?" _she thought as she began to get dressed.

"Hey Ash" she called out getting an instant response from the young man.

"Yeah Mist?" he asked as he put on the dress shirt, opting not to wear the jacket part of his outfit.

"My memory is a little hazy... you didn't use protection did you?" she asked, knowing full well by how she felt that he didn't use it.

"I don't think so" Ash said slowly when something caught his mind. "Hey Mist, don't tell me?" he said making her flinch, before face palming, she hadn't considered what he was about to say.

"Let's not get into that!" she cut in instantly, wanting to get rid of such thoughts as they would make Ash feel even more awkward around her, something she'd hate more than anything else. After events of the previous night she had come to understand exactly what kind of feelings she harboured for the champion, even if some were amplified by the influence of alcohol.

"But..." Ash said hesitantly, she could tell that he was now getting worried, which in turn made her feel worried.

"No buts Ash" she told the man as she finally got the outfit on and unlocked the door. "Seriously, I don't want to think things like that" she said to his face with a soft tone, which seemingly caught him off-guard.

"Ok" Ash said looking away, which kind of hurt Misty that he was unable to look at her.

"Ash, look at me" she said, but he didn't turn around. "Look at me!" she then said a little louder making him jump in the process, but it seemed to make him listen because he turned to look her in the eyes.

"Nothing is going to happen" she said in the most convincing voice she could muster, mainly because she too was having her doubts with that.

"Are you sure?" he said reluctantly, knowing full well that Misty couldn't be sure, but he still wanted to hear her say it.

"..." she started as she bit her lip, her doubts were being amplified by the minute and his obvious concern wasn't helping. "...yes" she lied, bringing a smile to his face in the process. It kind of hurt that he would be so happy that nothing would result from what they did, but at the same time she understood exactly where he was coming from.

"Thank Arceus" he said as he wiped his brow and approached her, putting his hands on her shoulder. "I was worried that I could have ruined your life" he said with obvious relief before giving her a small smile which warmed her heart briefly.

"..Ash" she said softly before smiling back at him. "I really need some new clothes" she joked as she looked down at herself. "It's going to be weird walking around Celadon like this" she said making him laugh.

"Don't worry, I'll ask mum to purchase you some clothes if we run into her" Ash said as his eyes went wide again. _"Oh crap what if Mum finds out" _he thought making Misty wonder what Ash was thinking.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, putting a hand on his arm, suddenly feeling bolder around him than usual.

"Yeah, just wondering how mum is going to react is all" he said as he looked around again. "I'm also wondering where Pikachu is" Ash said making Misty laugh.

"Don't you remember? He wandered off with Professor Oak" she said, impressing Ash to some degree.

"How can you remember that?" he asked heartily as the normal comfortable mood that usually surrounded them when they spoke returned, which brought mutual relief to the duo.

"Anyway" Misty piped up. "Let's just go to the lobby" Misty reasoned.

"Yeah" Ash said as he made his way to the door and opened it, leaving it open for her to walk out first.

"Too late to be acting like a gentleman" she joked as she left the room, making Ash sweatdrop before laughing.

"You came onto me" he said and followed her out the room. "I won't forget that" he said with a small smile making her blush before turning around.

"Whatever" she responded and made her way to the elevator, which made Ash happier than he would have ever expected.

* * *

When the duo reached the lobby they were met with the sight of a few familiar people. Delia and Professor Oak had their eyes closed as they sat on some chairs, Pikachu was sleeping on Delia's lap and Gary was walking back and forth, occasionally looking out of the windows before pacing around again.

"Gary?" Ash asked in confusion catching the young researcher's attention instantly.

"Took your time Ash" he said instantly in a kind of impatient tone which confused Ash. "Oh you too Misty" he said with a small smile making Ash glare.

"Gary don't you dare say anything" he said in reference to him and Misty coming out of the lift together which made the man laugh, which in turn made Delia and Oak open their eyes, Pikachu however stayed asleep. "Anyway what are you guys doing here, shouldn't you be heading back to Pallet?" Ash asked all of them, but mainly Gary.

"Ash, Misty" Delia said from her spot. "I think it would be best if you get a lift with us back" she said making the duo instantly feel uncomfortable.

"Why?" Misty asked as she approached the woman, however before she got close, Gary got in the way confusing her. "What are you doing?" Misty asked the question that Ash was desperate to say.

"Don't go close to the windows" Gary said as if they were under siege by something. After he noticed the confused expression on their faces he looked to the reception desk and glared. "Someone tipped off the journalists that a champion was having drunken escapades" he said as he turned to Ash who froze, understanding the situation instantly.

"Wait, what?" Misty said in a panic but Gary just smiled, it wasn't a soft one, it was more like a ironic smile.

"Things get better, word has it he was accompanied by the gym leader of Cerulean City" Gary said as he pointed at Misty. "Namely you" he said with a small grin making Misty blush before retreating back to where Ash was. "So as you can see I am currently stopping them from getting in, Electivire is on guard, so I'd appreciate if you don't let my efforts go to waste" Gary said making Ash glare slightly.

"Ash sweetie don't be angry at Gary" Delia said soothingly. "If it wasn't for Gary we wouldn't know the current situation" Delia said with praise for the young man.

"I know" Ash said as he turned to Gary. "Thanks man" he said making Gary smirk.

"You owe me one Ash" Gary joked making Ash laugh.

"Thank's Gary" Misty said making Gary wave a hand dismissively.

"It's alright" he said making Ash frown at the 'injustice' that he owed him a favour and she didn't.

As the three talked, Delia turned to Oak and nodded before getting to her feet. "Now that we are all up I think we should get out of here" Oak said making Delia nod.

"I think I can deal with this" Delia said with an uncharacteristic serious look which caught Gary, Ash and Misty off-guard, meanwhile Professor Oak didn't seem to fazed as if he had seen that expression hundreds of times.

"Uh Mum?" Ash said sheepishly but Delia momentarily ignored him and approached the receptionist giving him a smile which on the outside was warm but deep down it was extremely bonechilling, to the extent that the receptionist was almost quaking.

"There's a back entrance right?" Ash heard his mother say to the clerk who seemed rather shaky all of a sudden.

"Y-yes" he stuttered "but it's for employees only" he said weakly making Delia laugh at him.

"We'll be using it then" she said before turning to Ash, Misty, Gary and Professor Oak. "Gary can you drive you car around the back?" she asked making the young man nod.

"Will do Mrs. Ketchum and I'll make sure to go around the block a few times so it confuses the journalists" Gary said as if he was planning some sort of heist which deeply confused the duo who were in the thick of the action.

"Mrs. Ketchum what's going on?" Misty asked as Gary exited the hotel.

"I don't want pictures of you leaving the hotel on the front pages" Delia said with a smile. "By the way Misty" Delia said as she walked up to her and whispered in her ear. "I approve" before stepping back and smiling at her.

"Wha-"Misty said but Delia was already walking towards the back entrance, to which the rest followed naturally.

The next few minutes was a blur for the duo, first Delia's Pokégear went off, prompting her to walk out the back entrance, to which everyone followed, then Delia demanded Gary get out of the driving seat and took control, Ash and Misty were too stunned by her actions and just played along and got into the backseats.

"Keep your heads down you two" Delia said, to which both chorused a small yes. "Ok let's go!" Delia said in an almost excited tone, scaring Ash instantly who knew what was in store.

"Misty, brace yourself" Ash said confusing the young woman as Delia put the car into gear and put her foot down, speeding right out of the parking lot and away from the journalists who just watched as a car darted past them.

* * *

As the ride continued Misty came to realise why Ash told her to brace herself, Delia was a very dangerous driver, and she had already knocked her head a few times. _"I wonder if this is why Ash was so dim as a kid" _Misty thought as she turned to Ash who was guarding his head.

"Hey Misty" Delia said from the drivers seat, her calm, soothing tone having returned once they were clear of Celadon.

"Yes Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked as she watched Gary shield his head after another bump which kind of amused her.

"I'd like have a little chat with you later if you don't mind" she said making Misty smile.

"Why not now?" Misty asked making Delia fake a laugh.

"Let's just say it's something I want to keep private" she replied with a veiled answer which made Ash curious as to what his mum was planning.

"Uh Mum what is this about?" he asked but he got no answer making him feel rather annoyed, but once Misty touched his arm and gave him the same confused look he seemed to cheer up slightly, this didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the car, not even Delia who was watching from the mirror.

* * *

By the time they reached Cerulean City it was 2:00pm which impressed everyone present, not that it was faster than normal, but the fact that the car was in one piece despite Delia's antics. First stop was Cerulean Gym, something which Misty was feeling apprehensive about since apparently she and Ash were in the newspaper, even if there were no pictures.

As they got out of the car, Delia turned to Ash and said "I'll go inside with Misty, you lot wait here okay?" to which all three nodded, not feeling in the mood to argue with the woman.

As the two women left, Gary turned to Ash and grinned. "So Ashy-boy" he said to get a reaction out of his childhood friend. "Was it as good as you imagined, or were you two pissed to remember?" he asked making Oak chuckle and Ash glare.

"Gary, I've never thought of Misty in that way" Ash said honestly, it was true after all. Ash had never had sexual thoughts about Misty, but now he couldn't stop having them. All the way through the trip to Cerulean he was constantly thinking about the night before, which made him aroused, which in turn made him feel awkward throughout the trip.

"Well if you've done what I think you've done then you've hit a potential landmine" which confused Ash immensely, seeing this confusion Gary continued. "I think there's a possibility that you'll be spending a lot more time with her" Gary said with a small smile.

"What are you getting at Gary?" Ash asked though he had a small idea what he was on about.

"Responsibilities Ashy-boy" he said getting a rare glare from his grandfather in the process.

"Gary" Oak chided his grandson softly, making Gary sigh.

"Fine, ok then Granpa" he replied before turning to Ash. "You understand though right?" Gary asked to which Ash nodded making Gary smile. "Then let's stop talking about this" Gary said before looking at the sky. "Care for a small battle while we wait?" Gary offered.

"You're on Gary" Ash replied excitedly before turning to Pikachu, getting him ready to unleash some frustration on his old rival in the process.

* * *

As the two women entered the gym they were instantly met with the sight of Misty's three sisters, it wasn't because they were coincidentally hanging around no; instead it was because all three of them rushed into the lobby when they heard her arrive.

"Uh, hi" Misty said sheepishly making Daisy smile, the other two however gave her sly looks.

"Like Oh My God little sister, you are totally on the front pages!" Lily said excitedly as she held a newspaper which surprised Misty who was under the impression that Lily couldn't do anything intellectual, such as reading.

"Be quiet Lily" Daisy said seriously before slapping her on the back on the head. "You too Violet don't say anything" Daisy ordered before walking over to Misty and giving her a small hug which surprised the red head. "You ok there little sis?" she asked whilst stroking Misty's hair, which seemingly soothed Misty's nerves.

"Oh hi there Mrs. Ketchum" Daisy said as she turned to Delia. "Is your son outside? Maybe I can talk with him" she said in a serious voice which made Delia give her a stern look.

"Daisy" Misty muffled in Daisy's embrace before pulling back. "Don't blame Ash" Misty told her older sister before giving her a small, almost pained smile. "I was the one who initiated it after all" she informed them making Violet and Lily cheer a little, whilst Daisy turned to Delia apologetically. On the other hand Delia stood there with an all knowing expression on her face as if she had heard it all before.

"Sorry" Delia apologised with a small bow confusing all those present before turning to Misty. "I won't be long, but can we have a little talk Misty?" Delia asked the young woman who turned to her sisters and told them to go away politely. Once they were alone, Misty led Delia over to a small seating area and sat down first.

"What is it Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked curiously.

"This may sound strange but" Delia said before looking away. "I know what you're going through" Delia said before sitting down next to Misty. "It was the same way with my... 'husband'" Delia said quietly, surprising Misty since she had never heard about Ash's father before.

"Mrs. Ketchum I'm fine" Misty assured her but Delia knew better.

"Misty, dear" Delia said before inhaling deeply. "I'll just ask you straight up because this is getting too familiar for my tastes. When are you ovulating?" Delia said making Misty go slightly pale.

"W-what are you saying Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked in a slight panic before turning her head to the side, feeling unable to look at the woman any longer.

"I've noticed by the look on your face since I saw you in the lobby" Delia said with a small smile. "You look worried dear, like I did when Derek and I..." she said before stopping herself, not wanting to delve into such a complicated matter.

"Oh" Misty said before biting her lower lip. "This time of month" Misty replied to Delia's question before looking away making the older woman sigh.

"I was afraid so" Delia replied. "Though of everyone, you're the only one who I approve of with my little boy" Delia said making Misty smile a little. "However you're both so young" she said before looking away. "I shouldn't be getting worried like this, nothing is guaranteed" Delia said but she kind of felt like history was repeating itself again.

"Mrs. Ketchum I don't think it'll be a problem" Misty said reluctantly making Delia smile.

"I said that" Delia said pessimistically making Misty worried once more. "Don't worry though, if it happens, then both Ash and I will be there for you" Delia said making Misty smile. "My boy would take responsibility, because otherwise he'll go down the same route as Derek..." Delia said before looking at the floor. "Sorry dear" Delia added again making Misty laugh.

"Mrs. Ketchum you're worrying too much" she said as she got to her feet. "But thanks, I appreciate it" she said sincerely with a smile.

"No problem" Delia said as she got to her feet. "I think I'll be going now, do you want to say bye to Ash before we leave?" Delia asked to which Misty nodded and followed Delia towards the exit of Cerulean Gym.

* * *

The battle was over quickly, Gary's Electivire was on the floor out of it whilst Pikachu stood victorious. "Well done buddy" Ash congratulated his friend as Pikachu charged at him excitedly.

"You've really improved Ash" Gary said with a mixture of shock and pride.

"Well I am the champion" Ash bragged a little before turning to the gym entrance to see his mother and Misty walking out.

"Ash come here for a moment" Delia called over, which made Ash come running over instantly.

"Yes Mum?" he asked to which she pointed to the door.

"Misty wants to talk to you" she said before walking over to Professor Oak and giving him a sheepish expression, one which he knew all too well, Ash however couldn't see this because he was already on his way over to Misty.

"What is it Mist?" Ash asked as he reached the woman who stood at the door nervously, which in turn made Ash nervous. "Are you... okay?" he asked slowly making her smile.

"Don't worry I'll be fine" Misty said. "Everything will be just fine" she followed up as if trying to convince herself in the process, Ash took comfort in these words though and smiled.

"Want to forget about what happened?" Ash offered but the woman shook her head.

"No" Misty said with a small smile which upset Ash because he thought it meant she wanted them to remain awkward around each other. "I don't want to go back to acting all innocent around each other" Misty joked making Ash laugh.

"So is there anything you wanted to say?" Ash asked making Misty shake her head.

"Nah, I'll text you later though" Misty said as walked up to him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek catching him off guard.

"Mist?" he questioned but she merely winked and walked inside, leaving the young champion dumbfounded.

Meanwhile Gary just laughed from his position and turned to his grandfather and Delia. "She's sure being upfront all of a sudden" Gary joked making Delia smile.

"Perhaps it'll be a good thing this time around" Delia thought as she watched Ash walk over to the car. "Anyway, Gary I'll be driving again" Delia said and after a few protests, Gary made way for Delia, getting ready for another trip from hell.

As Ash got to the car he noticed Gary looking at him with fear in his eyes, and Ash knew what that meant. "Will I have to shield my head again?" Ash asked, making Gary nod as they got into the car, both hoping they survived the trip home.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Honestly, I hated writing this chapter, it was so boring, I know this. But it was essential, I think everyone knows it is a foregone conclusion about what happens next in regards to this matter. I'm sorry for any glaring spelling mistakes, but I am rather tired right now, but I don't think I made too many.

On another note, I have completed Black and White today, after purchasing it on Monday. And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but it is one of if not the best Pokémon game out there. Ghetsis' Hydreigon though, omg, I had to exhaust his moves by reviving my Pokémon over and over, but I killed him through a war of attrition, go me!

Once again a big thanks to all my reviewers, such as Nyislandersgirl and Jane Hawthorne.

Hope I can update soon, and I hope you enjoyed it!

-Aquilon


	6. Cerulean Blues

Responsibilities Chapter Six

_Ok I'll be serious, I have no idea how I've got so far so fast. This fiction takes quite some time and writing each chapter can be a little bit of a pain, but when I get comments from readers telling me how much they enjoy it I find the strength to continue despite my current heavy workload. _

Cerulean Blues

Two weeks had passed since the fateful event in Celadon City and like always, time seemed to heal everything. All the furore surrounding Ash's apparent drunken exploits were swiftly swept under the rug through good PR from his Pokémon League representatives and careful planning by himself and Misty, though moreso Misty, as Pokémon battles were his forte.

Over the entirety of the two weeks, Ash had participated in a variety of events, from serving as a guest star on a talk show to teaching the fundamentals of Pokémon battling at different trainer schools. All interviews conducted had a strict blacklist on questions regarding the 'Celadon Incident' however questions about Misty Waterflower were free to be asked, as both he and Misty had decided on beforehand.

Whenever asked about his relationship with the woman, he was instructed by Misty to say 'close childhood friends' which Ash agreed was a good way of describing their relationship. Either way it wasn't as difficult as Ash thought it was going to be, but he still kept on his guard for the occasional rabid cameraman, which he was currently doing as he landed Charizard in front of Pewter City's Pokémon Centre.

After dismounting the fire dragon, Ash called him back to his Pokéball for a good rest. "So Pikachu, where's Brock?" Ash asked his long-time partner who started sniffing the air instantly. When finished the electric mouse pointed to the left.

"Pikapii" he said excitedly, clearly happy that they were about to visit Brock for the first time in weeks.

"Alright then buddy, let's go" Ash replied and followed Pikachu's instructions, after all, Pikachu had a remarkable sense of smell for a Pikachu, something Ash utilised to help himself navigate from time to time as he was useless at reading a map.

After a few minutes, Ash eventually saw Brock walking on the other side of the street; his head was facing downwards, staring intently at a piece of paper. This caused Brock to crash into a few people due to his split concentration. Deciding not to waste time feeling curious, Ash ran across the street and shouted. "Hey Brock, what's up?" but he was met with no reply, just small mumbles from the man.

"Uhh Brock?" Ash said a little louder, but once again no reply. "Looks like we have to resort to desperate measures Pikachu" Ash said to his friend who nodded in reply.

"Oh hi officer Jenny nice to-" Ash started before being stunned silent as he felt someone grab his hand and say.

"Why hello there my sweet-..." before pausing for a moment with a look of confusion on their face. "Ash?" the man started before looking around desperately "where's officer Jenny?" he asked making Ash and Pikachu laugh in unison, confusing the older male.

"Glad to see your with us again Brock, now would you let go of my hand, I'm flattered and all but I'm not like that" Ash said making the Pokémon doctor almost blush from embarrassment as he let go of the champions hand.

"So... no officer Jenny?" Brock asked making Ash shake his head.

"No officer Jenny" Ash confirmed making the man look downwards disappointingly.

"Oh..." Brock started "well at least you're finally here" Brock said making Ash raise an eyebrow.

"Oh you weren't saying that a few minutes ago when you completely blanked me man" Ash said sarcastically making Brock sigh.

"Oh sorry" Brock said as he folded up the paper and slipped it into his pocket. "I was a little busy" Brock explained, making Ash feel slightly curious as to what he was reading. "Ah but none of that matters now, leads head back to my place, I had something I needed to talk to you about after all" Brock said in reference to why Ash was in Pewter in the first place.

To be perfectly honest, Ash didn't come to Pewter City because he thought he wanted to see Brock, it was because Brock asked him to come, that of course didn't mean he didn't want to see his best friend, it was just he hadn't got a single rest day during the previous two weeks, which left him slightly exhausted.

After a brief walk the trio arrived at Brock's new apartment, which he had moved to after becoming a Pokémon doctor, figuring he was too old to live at home, especially since most of his siblings were now teenagers and needed more room. "Wow nice place" Ash said as he entered to find some expensive furniture, much more costly than his own. The kitchen from his position seemed state of the art as well.

"Well a Pokédoctor gets a good wage you know" Brock joked as he closed the door. Once that door clicked shut, Brock donned a big smile. "So how have you been recently Ash?" he asked as he watched Ash go over to the sofa and sit down.

"Some of it has been nightmarish" Ash said much to Brock's surprise. "You know Mr. Sukizo?" Ash asked in an almost fearful tone.

"You mean the leader of the Pokémon Fanclub, the guy who says 'remarkable' in all contests?" Brock asked giving a good impression of him in the process. "Why Ash?" Brock asked, seemingly interested in why Ash almost sounded scared of the harmless looking man.

"Yeah... he's a freaking psycho" Ash replied as Pikachu shivered as well, Brock's eyes would have gone wide from the information if they weren't practically glued shut.

"Uh Ash, are you sure you're not imagining things?" Brock asked unsurely as he walked to the kitchen to get a drink.

"No, you see I had to be a judge for a Pokémon contest, apparently having the champion there would boost donations, you see it was a contest for charity" Ash started as Brock entered the room with a can of cola in his hand, when Brock nodded Ash continued. "Anyway, I was at a loss for words when I had to describe how good this one appeal looked when I accidently said 'remarkable'" Ash said as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and hid under a cushion.

"Then what Ash?" Brock asked as he sat himself down on one of the leather seats.

"He stabbed me in the leg with a pen" Ash said bluntly making Brock's jaw drop.

"WHAT?" Brock asked in shock at Ash's declaration "Ash, are you sure it wasn't a dream?" Brock asked as he saw Pikachu quivering. "Wait, why is Pikachu scared?" Brock asked making Ash look downwards.

"Well first of all he said in a low voice with his same old cheery tone, 'steal my line again and I'll turn your Pikachu into a nice pair of slippers bitch' and then he said 'the pen was a warning'" Ash said with a look of fear in his eyes. "How is he the president of the fanclub the psycho" Ash said making Brock wonder the exact same thing.

"I think you should report that guy" Brock said as he opened his can, but he didn't take a sip, instead he put it on a low coffee table.

"Won't work, guy is too well liked" Ash said making Brock sigh.

"Well that's that then" Brock said in resignation before changing the subject. "So I've been wanting to ask you, what really happened between you and Misty? Was it like the papers said? IS IT TRUE YOU EXPRESSED YOUR UNDYING LOVE FOR HER?" he asked in a really quick and excited tone which made Ash wonder if Brock was a schoolgirl instead of an adult Pokémon doctor for a moment.

"Uh Brock calm down, I was going to tell you anyway" Ash said as Pikachu came out from under the cushion and made his way up his arm. "First of all, no I didn't confess my 'undying' love for her Brock, are there really rumours like that?" Ash asked making Brock nod sheepishly. "And I had sex with her" Ash said bluntly. "Before you ask, we were both completely hammered and for your information, she came onto me" Ash said as if trying to justify himself which made Brock laugh.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about man" Brock said wisely as he took a sip of his drink. "So how have you two been since then?" Brock asked as if not fazed by any of the information he'd been told.

"Better than ever" Ash said much to the surprise of his best friend. "We talk every day now, usually Mist will send me a text and then we'll talk during the times I have a break, she like must be so free at the gym or something if she can text back whenever I'm free" Ash said absentmindedly making Brock sweat drop a little.

"_Ash, she is obviously dropping everything to talk with you" _Brock thought, not even bothering to voice his wise opinion, knowing it would instantly be dismissed by the oblivious champion. "Well at least you guys are talking more" Brock said with a happy smile confusing the young man.

"Uh why is that something to be all cheery about Brock?" Ash asked making Brock shrug.

"Friends should talk more often" Brock lied easily with a smile.

"Oh...kay?" Ash responded, feeling as if he was being mocked for some reason, though that wasn't the case, he still needed to have a jab back at Brock. "So on the party... I thought we weren't meant to hang out there" Ash said with faux disappointment in his voice, Brock just replied by sighing dreamily.

"Being popular is so difficult" Brock said, almost giggling giddily from saying it, after all he never thought the day would come when two beauties, namely Solidad and Lucy would fight over him, Ash however found this incredibly amusing and laughed at Brock's reminiscence, this seemed to insult Brock a little. "Hey, not cool man" Brock replied, the hurt tone making Ash stifle his laughter instantly.

"Sorry, but they may have been drunk or something" Ash said in the kindest way possible. "I mean Lucy, well she's hot" Ash said making Brock sigh.

"Misty wouldn't be pleased to hear you say that" Brock said surprising Ash for a moment before he laughed.

"Ah, good one, real funny Brock" Ash said sarcastically, assuming Brock was making a jibe at him in return. "Anyway, back to Solidad, well she's a Master Co-ordinator man, she could get most guys, why would she go after you? No offense" Ash said dismissively, not noticing how cruel he was sounding.

"Yeah I guess you're right" Brock said in such a way that Ash could practically hear his ego bursting.

"W-wait I may be wrong" Ash said trying to salvage the situation. "You and Solidad are childhood friends right?" Ash said quickly making Brock nod "then maybe she... is interested?" Ash asked, practically seeing the hope returning to his best friend in the process.

"Though that doesn't explain Lucy's interest, perhaps... she likes your features..." Ash said before whispering "squinty eyes maybe?"

"Hey I heard that Ash" Brock said, this time not sounding offended, which made Ash laugh a little.

"So... who won out in the end anyway man, Solidad or Lucy?" Ash asked, genuinely interested in who Brock picked.

"Uhh Lucy" Brock said, sounding slightly frightful when he said it. "You see, she kind of scared Solidad away" Brock admitted making Ash raise an eyebrow dubiously.

"So you like Solidad?" Ash asked "more than the normal woman that is" he followed up, assuming that by how Brock spoke, but Brock shook his head.

"No man, nurse Joys and officer Jennys all day long man!" Brock proclaimed spiritedly making as face palm.

"Uniform fetishist" Ash said making Brock laugh.

"Ash you just don't understand the supreme greatness that is the uniform!" Brock said enthusiastically making Ash shrug.

"If you say so" Ash dismissed, thinking of how to quickly change the subject before Brock got too passionate about his interest in uniforms. "Uhh, how did Lucy scare Solidad away?" Ash asked, instantly draining the colour from his best friend's face.

"She can glare like a Seviper" Brock said seriously, somewhat doubtful himself despite witnessing it in person, this just made Ash scoff in disbelief.

"No way, Lucy was so nice!" Ash said as Brock nodded his head in agreement. "...Maybe she was acting at the frontier... to impress someone" Ash said, throwing Brock a bone for being such a jerk prior.

"Really?" Brock asked excitedly, forgetting the fear of her Seviper glare.

"Maybe" Ash said with a shrug, which Pikachu imitated as well. After realising Brock was pleased, Ash decided to change the subject. "So why did you call me to Pewter? Not that I don't want to see you, I just didn't think it would be to talk about Mist" Ash asked the man who after a few seconds grinned and left the room, leaving Ash feeling nervous.

After a minute Brock returned and placed a bunch of goods on the table to which Ash asked "Uh Brock what is this stuff?" wondering why Brock was grinning so much.

"I'm glad you asked me that Ash!" Brock said as if practicing a sales pitch before clearing his throat and continuing. "You know I always wanted to be a breeder?" Brock asked getting a small nod from his friend. "Well I still haven't completely given up on that" Brock revealed as he pointed to stuff on the table.

"You see, I was in charge of the Pokémon's nutrition last week when a breeder told me in his own words, 'this is the best Pokémon food I've ever seen, my Pokémon are such picky eaters but they ate yours without complaint'" Brock said, imitating the breeder in the process. "Well that got me thinking, perhaps I can do both, no I will do both, using my talents I will become a breeder and a doctor!" Brock said dramatically catching his friend off guard.

"How?" Ash asked, wondering why Brock was acting all quirky all of sudden, much like he had when he first met the man. _"Could focusing on breeding make Brock go a little nutty?" _Ash thought curiously as he paid full attention to the man.

"First I will sell my specialised Pokéfood out to markets, once it becomes a hit I will remove them from the Pokémarts" Brock said which just confused the heck out of Ash.

"Uh... wait what?" Ash asked making Brock laugh.

"Oh wait there's more, once the public are obsessed I will open my own chain of Pokémon daycares, all of which exclusively sell my food, meaning no Pokémarts eating into my profits" Brock said with a grin. "Of course I'll sell it for cheap" Brock said ecstatically.

"There's no guarantee your food will be that pop-" Ash started before Brock cut him off once more.

"Not so fast Ash" Brock said enthusiastically. "I have the perfect plan for popularity" he said and then pointed his finger at Ash, practically making the young champion form a question mark over his head from confusion. "You Ash" he said making Ash's eyes open with recognition.

"Oh no, this is my first day off in weeks" Ash protested before Brock put his hand on his shoulder.

"I cooked food for you and your Pokémon for over four years" Brock said as if he was trying to guilt trip Ash. "... And see how you turned out, this will be perfect for a campaign!" Brock said making Ash face palm. "Please man; do this tiny, little favour for me?" Brock practically begged which left Ash with no other answer.

"As long as this isn't all for more money so you can impress chicks" Ash sighed in resignation. "Sure" Ash followed up, instantly getting a 'bro' hug from Brock, who pulled away and started acting all crazy again.

"That's not all" Brock said as he held his arms outstretched towards the ceiling. "You'll assist me with my daycare scheme as well right?" Brock asked hopefully making Ash nod reluctantly. "Great!" Brock said happily. "The chain will have some Pokémon centre qualities for towns which lack one and I know the perfect location for headquarters" Brock said before smiling. "However for now let's keep our eyes... no, your eyes in front of us, after all I can't see through mine according to you" Brock said light heartedly.

"Uuh okay" Ash said feeling quite scared as Brock stepped back and laughed.

"And so begins the Empire of Brock!" Brock roared, which left Ash wondering if the man had lost his mind already.

* * *

Whilst Ash was with Brock, Misty was walking around Cerulean doing her normal duties as a gym leader. After all being a gym leader meant more than just battling, she also had to maintain the gym and the food supplies, the latter was what she was currently doing.

She had noticed that since the 'Celadon Incident' as it was called, people around the town had stopped referring to her as 'the devil woman' and now she was 'evil seductress' and to be fair she didn't mind that if it meant she had successfully seduced the person she realised she was in love with. Of course she hadn't and most of the comments were rumours but she still allowed herself to dream occasionally.

She had also noticed, as Ash had as well, that the two seemed much closer than before, something Misty was ecstatic about, she was starting to think the little "mistake" may not have been a bad thing after all, granted it did feel pretty fantastic, but Misty was expecting some sort of break in contact between her and Ash because of it, thankfully it didn't result in that.

So as Misty bought some Pokéfood and some special Pokéblock and Poffin for her 'cute' Feebas she hummed happily, in the knowledge that she may one day claim Ash Ketchum's heart, this humming scared a few people who wondered how the crazy woman could be so happy, but she didn't care one lick.

"So heavy" Misty complained as she picked up her Gyarados' special snacks and lugged it into her shopping trolley and walked down another isle to find some bottles hand been knocked off the shelves and onto the floor, subsequently leaking everywhere giving off quite the scent.

"Uh" Misty murmured as she approached the mess and looked down "maybe I should just ignore it" Misty thought as she inhaled some of the scent, which she instantly regretted. "Blegh" Misty wretched and pulled back, suddenly feeling sick at the stomach. _"What is that?" _Misty thought as she quickly retreated hoping to get rid of the nausea she was feeling but to no avail. _"Oh Arceus, don't tell me I'm going to be sick" _Misty thought to herself in a panic as she let go of the trolley and ran out of the store.

As she inhaled the fresh air she still felt terrible, and decided to make her way to the gym as she didn't want anyone to see her throw up. It wouldn't just be embarrassing for her but also social suicide for someone like her with a bad reputation.

When she reached the gym Misty found that she could no longer hold back and made her way to one of the flower beds and emptied the contents of her stomach, two words being able to describe how she felt, which were 'like shit'. "Yeck" Misty let out an incoherent sound, kind of like a yelp mixed with a wretch.

Being sick lasted less than a minute, but that was long enough for someone to notice her, namely her eldest sister Daisy who pulled up in her car to witness the event first-hand. "Lil sis?" Daisy asked as she stepped out of the car and walked up the path. "You alright over there?" she asked in an almost airheaded tone which made Misty turn around and glare slightly at her sister.

"Do I look alright?" Misty hissed, instantly regretting it afterwards, after all she didn't like speaking to Daisy like that, Violet and Lily were fair game, but not Daisy. This however didn't dissuade Daisy one bit who approached and looked over her shoulder, retreating instantly once she saw what Misty was doing.

"Ew, lil sis, there is a toilet you know" Daisy told her sister who was slightly angered, yet this time she didn't take it out on her.

"Uhh, sorry" Misty said, still not feeling so good. "I just had to" Misty explained before turning to pick up some non-existent bags. "Damn, I was in such a rush I didn't buy anything" Misty muttered as Daisy approached her again.

"Hey you don't look so well" Daisy said in a concerned tone making Misty feel bad for some reason. "Inside now" Daisy ordered much to Misty's dismay.

"Eh?" the red head blurted out but Daisy was having none of it.

"Inside, clean yourself up, don't even think of resuming gym leader stuffs" Daisy said in a concerned yet unintelligent way. "I'll deal with challengers just for today" Daisy offered as she pulled Misty away from the flowerbed and pushed her gently towards the gym.

"B-but" Misty complained.

"No buts, get inside" Daisy replied sternly to which Misty complied. Daisy was one of the few people Misty had trouble saying no to, and it was her influence that made her return from Johto, not Violet or Lily's.

"Ok" Misty said as she began to walk of her own free will, entering the gym with Daisy. "So how was the stay in Pallet Dais?" Misty asked making the blonde giggle a little to herself.

"It was nice" Daisy said making Misty slightly jealous that she couldn't be with Ash how Daisy was with Tracey. "Tracey is such a dear" Daisy said with a smile. "He cooked me this fabulous dinner" she said as she extended her arms to try and emphasise the meal's greatness. "Then afterwards we had a nice long talk and then..." Daisy said before stopping, offering Misty a smile and nothing more.

"Ew Dais... I know exactly what you mean, I don't need to hear about your sex life" Misty said making Daisy laugh.

"Who said we did that?" Daisy asked with a small elegant smile. "Dirty little sister" she teased making Misty blush a little. "Now get upstairs and clean yourself up, wash your mouth out as well" Daisy said softly before walking towards the aquarium area to look at the Pokémon, giving Misty no opportunity to say no.

* * *

As Misty walked up the stairs into the lodging area of the gym she spotted her sister Violet walking out of her room. "Oh hey lil sis" Violet said, offering only that small smidging of conversation before walking over to her, the woman's blue hair accidently slapping Misty in the face in doing so.

Usually Misty would put up with it, but there was something odd, from the moment her hair touched her face, Misty felt as if she was going to be sick again. "Bleah" Misty moaned before pushing Violet causing her to scream out.

"Hey what's the prob-" Violet complained as she saw Misty burst into the bathroom, seconds later the sound of someone throwing up reached Violet's ears which made goosebumps cover her porcelain coloured skin. "Eww" Violet said in disgust, the same cry was also heard from a nearby room which was Lily's.

As Misty attempted to empty her near enough empty stomach, the two women in some form of morbid fascination, peeked their heads into the toilet, feeling absolutely sickened by what they were witnessing, yet they couldn't turn their pretty little heads away.

"Eww that's gross lil Mis" Lily commented making Misty turn and glare at her, which frightened the second youngest Waterflower.

As they watched on, Daisy walked up the stairs to watch her sisters peeking into the bathroom, and she suspected she knew why. "What are you two doing?" she asked the blue and pink haired women who both turned around in unison.

"Like Dais, lil Mis is ruining the bathroom" Lily said as she cringed at the noise emanating from the bathroom. Daisy seeing this approached her two sisters and pulled them out of the way.

"Look usually it's ok" Daisy told her sisters in regards to their sibling 'bullying' of Misty. "However can't you see she's really sick?" Daisy informed the two as she herself entered the room reluctantly, walking up behind her youngest sister and patting her on the back.

"There, there lil sis" Daisy said soothingly, visibly disgusted by Misty's actions, but only holding strong for the strange maternal feelings she felt for the youngest Waterflower.

"Uugh Daisy" Misty said painfully as Daisy made silencing noises soothingly, which along with the gentle rubbing seemed to help settle her a bit.

After a few minutes Misty seemed to be feeling better and was able to finally return to her feet. "Thanks Dais, I feel a bit better now" Misty said honestly as she flushed the toilet.

"Like, what happened?" Daisy asked with concern making Misty turn away.

"I don't know, Vi's hair touch my face and I suddenly felt terrible" Misty said honestly, but that didn't go down too well with the second oldest Waterflower whom burst into the room in protest.

"Don't go blaming me lil Mis" Violet said angrily but this was quickly silenced by the weird noise Misty let off. "Oh not again" Violet said and quickly retreated out of the room, but this time Misty didn't hurl, as she covered her nose before she inhaled too much of whatever was making her sick.

Seeing this Daisy told Misty to wait inside the bathroom whilst she spoke with Violet and Lily, leaving Misty feeling confused and somewhat vulnerable for some reason.

When Daisy got outside she saw Violet and Lily still standing around curiously wondering what was going on. "Violet" Daisy started making Lily and Violet go wide eyed. After all when Daisy didn't use their nicknames it meant she was serious.

"Uh, like what is it Dais?" Violet asked reluctantly.

"Your hair, are you using anything different?" Daisy asked making Violet's eyes brighten with glee.

"Like finally someone who's noticed!" Violet said excitedly, forgetting the matter at hand as she touched her hair lovingly. "Just today I started using my new Milotic conditioner. It's said to make your hair dazzling like a beautiful Milotic!" Violet said enthusiastically "why Dais is my hair all shiny?" Violet asked giving a little twirl making Daisy inwardly sigh.

Without telling Violet her intentions, Daisy asked for the bottle to which Violet gladly handed it over. "Just like don't use too much" Violet said but before she knew it Daisy was already back in the bathroom. Seeing this Violet turned to Lily and said "she must like really love my hair, don't you think?" to which Lily gave no answer because she was too interested in what was happening in the bathroom.

"Sorry lil sis but I have to test something" Daisy told Misty who backed away a little. "Is this the smell?" Daisy asked, opening the bottle. After taking a small sniff, Misty reeled backwards and backed herself into the corner as if trying to flee from the foul substance, nodding her head.

"Get that away from me Daisy please ugh" Misty begged and Daisy gladly did so, closing it swiftly. "Just a moment sis" Daisy said before leaving the room and throwing the bottle into Violet's hands.

"Vi you totally have to get new hair products" Daisy informed her sister who looked mortified at the suggestion.

"Like why?" Violet asked in an almost upset tone.

"It's like making Misty all sick and stuff" Daisy informed the second oldest Waterflower who looked ready to reject Daisy's request. "Look if you do I'll pay and even let you go shopping with my money" Daisy offered in such a way that Violet couldn't refuse. It wasn't the offer of a free shopping trip that enticed Violet, but her own sister's words, because like Misty, Violet had a hard time saying no to Daisy.

"Ooo" Violet let out an annoyed moan. "Like fine" Violet said as she turned to Lily who was still all quiet, watching on with great interest. "We're so going shopping right now Lil, get yourself ready" Violet practically ordered the pink haired woman who shook her head meekly and walked to her room.

When this was done, Daisy re-entered the bathroom and looked at the closed bottle of Milotic conditioner. "Has it always been like this?" Daisy asked to which Misty shook her head.

"No I always use Milotic conditioner" Misty informed her eldest sister who donned a look of shock at her words.

"Maybe you should like go see a doctor or something" Daisy said absentmindedly to which Misty flat out rejected. "Look lil sis, it may have sounded like one, but it wasn't a suggestion" Daisy informed her little sister as she grasped her shoulders. "Remember what happened to mom?" Daisy asked Misty who shook her head.

In all honesty Misty couldn't really remember her parents since they died when she was young, her oldest memories often showed Daisy as the maternal figure of the family, which often left Misty finding it hard to reject Daisy. "No but I know what happened" Misty said in reference to her mother who died of illness.

"Fine" Misty said as she saw the look of worry on Daisy's face which made the blonde smile instantly.

"Good" Daisy replied happily. "I'll go call them now, today the gym will be closed" Daisy decided to which Misty tried to protest.

"N-no" Misty said but Daisy was having none of it.

"I'm taking you to the doctors and Vi and Lil are going shopping, no-one can look after the gym" Daisy informed her youngest sister. "So the gym is closed today, ok lil sis?" Daisy said in such a stern way that it sounded more strict than her actual choice of words did.

"Maybe I shouldn't go to the doctors then..." Misty said as her dedication towards the gym showed once more.

"No, right now the gym isn't important" Daisy said which nearly mortified Misty until she heard what came next. "Right now you are what's most important" and with that Misty suddenly felt as if she could let the gym go one day without a leader, feeling much happier than she did before.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Pewter City, Brock and Ash stood in the market as hundreds of people surrounded Brock's stall which showcased his Pokémon food, most of the crowd being there not for the food but for the champion.

"Now as I was saying, this food is fit for champions" Brock said in an almost corny way, but despite this the crowd was milking it up. "I'll give a demonstration" Brock said as he turned to Pikachu, "Hey Pikachu do you want some of this?" he asked as he held up a brown square block which Pikachu practically attacked before squealing happily in contentment. "As you can see Pikachu here, who is a champion Pokémon, absolutely adores Brock's Pokémon Food" Brock said which sent a murmur around the crowd. "However if you don't believe me, just listen to the champion himself" Brock said as he walked behind Ash and pushed him forward a little.

"Uhh" Ash started before turning to Brock who was nodding. "Ever since I was younger, Brock has supplied all the food for my Pokémon" Ash informed the crowd, that knowledge instantly hooking in a few youngsters who idolised Ash. "And I must be honest, ever since then my Pokémon won't eat anything but BROCKS POKÉMON FOOD. And it's one of the keys to my success" Ash said just as Brock had planned, and just as expected the crowd went nuts.

However Brock's ploy wasn't over yet. "Haha, is my food really that good Ash?" Brock asked modestly.

"The best there is" Ash replied which kicked the crowd into action, each sending in demands for his Pokéfood just as expected.

"Remember to leave feedback on the product" Brock said to each person who bought his merchandise with a smile. And that was plenty of people because within the space of five minutes everything was sold. "Well that's all, come back soon for more ok?" Brock said with a grin and turned them away as Ash retreated away so the crowd lost sight of him.

"Wow that went better than expected" Brock said as he surveyed all the money. "This is going to make me, no, us rich!" Brock declared with a grin to the champion who didn't seem as enthusiastic as the Pokémon doctor/breeder. "The Empire of Brock here we come!" Brock declared happily making Ash sigh again.

"Hey Brock?" someone asked from behind the future millionaire, the voice was so familiar to Brock that he instantly turned around to confirm his suspicions.

"S-Solidad?" Brock stuttered shyly which made Ash grin before retreating a few paces to watch the action from a distance.

"Hey" she replied to him with a smile, her long pink hair billowing behind her daintily which instantly captured the man's complete attention. "So... how did you like Lucy?" she suddenly asked making Ash flinch and Brock freeze, it wasn't because of the choice of words, but how she presented them. Ash could tell from where he stood that there was true jealousy in how she said it, something that both intrigued and baffled the young champion.

"Uhh we kind of split after the night was over" Brock said sheepishly, feeling rather nervous under her gaze, not noticing how Solidad's blue eyes went from icy to bright and exuberant when he said it either.

"Really?" she asked as if begging for a confirmation, when Brock nodded, Solidad felt compelled to ask more questions. "So you two aren't close?" she asked him which made the man confused as to what Solidad's intentions were.

"_Don't tell me Solidad is actually interested in him?" _Ash thought in horror as he watched Solidad fidget kind of nervously. _"Yup I'm pretty sure" _Ash thought whilst remaining blissfully unaware that a certain red head also acted the same way around him.

"N-NO!" Brock shouted startling all present, but after a small intermission Ash sniggered at his friend's response. "I-I mean no" Brock said a little clearer making Solidad smile in the process.

"Oh" she replied as she clasped her hands together behind her back, bouncing a little on one foot. "That's good" she said with a grin that made Brock's face turn crimson instantly. "Say Brock, whilst I'm still in Pewter how about we hang out a little?" she suggested, not noticing how Brock's head began to fry from information overload.

"S-sure!" Brock fumbled with his words. "I-I would love to" he said as he turned around shyly only to see Ash stifling his laughter which just made him even more embarrassed.

"Great" Solidad said again as she pulled out her pink Pokégear, Brock seeing this pulled out his. "Here's my number" Solidad said in a perky tone, to which Brock shyly gave his out. "I'll see you later Brock" she then said with a wink before moving her head to look around Brock only to spot Ash. "Oh hi there Ash" she said giving him a small wave before running off with a skip in her step.

Once out of sight Brock almost crumpled onto the floor, not used to having a girl taking the initiative with him. "Smooth loverboy" he heard Ash say from behind him which gave Brock the urge to throttle him, but being the mature person he was, he refrained from doing so.

"Whatever Ash" Brock said as he began to pack up the stall but Ash wasn't done.

"I can't believe it though, she is really interested in you Brocko" he said with a grin. "Impressive, so a contest master and perhaps a frontier brain" Ash then said making Brock look at him with confusion. "You aim high don't you" Ash said with a laugh that made Brock give him an exasperated look.

"Haha, so funny Ash" Brock said sarcastically as he cracked his neck. "Don't even get me started on relationships" Brock then said with a small smile. "I can't help if I'm interested in more than one woman... unlike you" Brock said making Ash confused about what he was insinuating.

"What are you-" Ash tried to say but Brock continued.

"You know, you and Misty looked so good together at the party that I just couldn't come between you" Brock said which made Ash blush only slightly.

"Whatever Brock, me and Mist... that's-"Ash started but Brock cut in before he could finish.

"Not so impossible, right Ash?" Brock said which made Ash go completely quiet, which greatly satisfied the older male. _"Got you this time Ash, got you" _Brock happily thought before resuming with packing up his stall.

* * *

The time was now 6:00pm in Cerulean and whilst most adults would be going out to party, Daisy and Misty were on their way back to their home, shocked about the news they had just heard. "Daisy" Misty moaned sounding quite afraid.

"It'll be okay lil sis" Daisy reassured her youngest sister.

"But!" Misty said in a panic but she was quickly silenced by Daisy.

"Look it's not... the end of the world" Daisy said in an attempt to be comforting. "It's him though right?" Daisy asked getting a small nod from the red head.

"Can't be anyone else" Misty replied, confident of that one piece of information.

"Then you'll have to tell him" Daisy said as she stopped the car and got out, Misty did the same and got out from the passenger side. "And it has to be in person lil sis, otherwise he can just avoid you or hang up or whatever way he chooses to sever the communication" Daisy informed Misty as they both walked into the gym.

"I recommend you text him now, I have to make a phonecall ok" Daisy asked and once she got a nod from Misty she smiled and went to the landline.

Misty following her older sisters words pulled out her Pokégear and opened up the contacts list, eventually settling on Ash which had hearts on either side of the name. 'Hey Ash, something's happened, I need you to come to Cerulean, please?' Misty typed before sending the text.

Moments later, much to Misty's surprise her Pokégear began to rang, when she looked at the caller Id she noticed it was the man she had just text. As she answered it she was instantly bombarded by his voice. "Hey Mist are you alright? Do you need me to come to Cerulean right now? Mist?" he asked in almost a frenzy which warmed the woman's heart a little.

"No it's okay Ash" Misty said before taking a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about something in person, come as soon as you can... please?" she asked, ready to hang up but Ash's voice came blaring down the receiver again.

"I'll be right over then" Ash said much to her surprise.

"W-wait Ash-" she said quickly but Ash was having none of it.

"It sounds urgent, today's my day off so I'll be right over" Ash informed her. "Hey Brock, something's happened with Mist so I have to go alright?" Misty heard Ash say to Brock through the receiver. "its fine Ash" Misty heard the man reply.

"I'll be right over" Misty then heard Ash say, she had one last opportunity to protest but she couldn't find it in herself to stop Ash, mainly because he sounded so concerned for her. "See you soon" he said and then the call ended.

As she put the Pokégear back into her pocket, Daisy walked into the lobby and gave Misty a questioning look. "Did you ask him?" she asked her youngest sister who nodded.

"Yeah he said he's coming over right now" Misty replied with almost a smile on her face.

"It's almost dark though" Daisy commented, sounding kind of impressed that he was in such a rush to hear what Misty had to say.

"He sounded... worried" Misty said with a small smile. "My text gave him the wrong idea, he hung up before I could tell him it wasn't important..." Misty said which made Daisy laugh a little.

"Lil sis, how can you say this isn't important?" Daisy asked as she gave her a hug. "All this responsibility looking after the gym has fried your brain" she joked. "Seriously, maybe you should like rethink your priorities little sis" she said as she smoothed Misty's hair. "Of course being pregnant is a totally serious."

* * *

(End Chapter)

Holy shit I cannot believe I completed this chapter today, I am actually impressed with myself, though I'm not a huge fan of this chapter, I hope you enjoyed some of CRAAZY BROCK, he was actually kind of looney in the first series, before being demoted to the flirt gag guy, he used to have other gags.

I would like to thank all my fantastic reviewers for their contributions and I hope I can get MORE REVIEWS this time around, but it's fine, I'm not really doing this for reviews, I'm doing it because I want to share my Pokéshipping ideas with everyone.

This is by the way my largest chapter so far, so I hope you enjoyed it.

-Aquilon


	7. Baby Blues

Responsibilities Chapter Seven

_Ah where do I start, umm thank you all. My readers, my reviewers for making me dedicated to writing again, the frequent reviews and PM's help me feel as if my writing is appreciated, which in turn motivates me, well enough of this crap, onto the story_

Baby Blues

The moment Ash hung up on Misty he was out of Brock's apartment and flying through the sky on the back of his Charizard. Brock didn't mind, in fact he thought it was a good thing that Ash was rushing to see Misty, for whatever reason it was.

As the young champion soared onwards towards the city of Cerulean he thought about many outlandish theories of what Misty could have been so concerned about. "It has to be the gym Pikachu" Ash said with confidence, making his long time partner turn his head in confusion. "Maybe it's been set on fire" Ash said which made Pikachu sweat drop, even he knew that was a near impossibility, it was a water type gym after all.

"Pi-ka-chu" the electric mouse responded as he shook his head.

"Then what else could it be buddy?" Ash asked his friend in a concerned tone, after all Misty's tone when talking to him on the Pokégear was almost uncharacteristic; in addition to this the text was also worrying him, which culminated into a weird form of protectiveness that he didn't know he had. "Since when is Misty in a situation that she needs me to be there" Ash said incredulously, either way it had to be serious if she practically begged him to come, that's how he interpreted it anyway.

"Well I guess it does feel good that she asked for me first when she needed help" Ash said out loud, still voicing confidence in the idea that Misty was in some sort of trouble, this made his dragonlike Pokémon snort as if he was laughing at his trainer. "Hey what are you getting at Charizard!" Ash snapped embarrassedly which made Pikachu laugh as well.

"Pika-PikaPika-Pika!" Pikachu said as he played charades, messing with his fur to form some semblance to Misty's hair and facial expression, then made lovey-dovey eyes and then pointed to Ash before declaring "Pika!" excitedly which made Ash blush a little.

"You're insane Pikachu" Ash responded making Charizard laugh, unleashing some fire in the process.

"Woah watch it Charizard, I don't want to be responsible for causing damage to Mount Moon" Ash said worriedly, in reference to the towering mountain that they were approaching, this just made Charizard chuckle more.

"Charr!" the Pokémon roared, which caused a few people walking along the path to the mountain to look up, despite this they couldn't see Ash due to how high up they were.

"Piiika!" Pikachu cried as in response to Charizard, Ash understood that they were having a conversation, but he was lost as to what they could be discussing, it was moments like these that he wanted to understand Pokémon language.

As the two Pokémon communicated Ash watched the setting sun in the horizon, it was this that made Ash realise he wouldn't be returning home that night. _"I think I'll call mum when I land in Cerulean" _Ash thought as he turned to watch two of his strongest Pokémon talk whilst wondering if what Pikachu had tried to tell him was true.

* * *

Meanwhile in Cerulean City, Misty was still trying to recover from the information she had been told. The brief denial was gone and it was replaced by pure panic. The thought of having a baby was worrying enough, but the thought of Ash hating her because of it was also playing a part in her worries, she knew she'd be completely torn in two if Ash reacted badly to the news.

"Don't worry little sis" Daisy cooed to the youngest Waterflower, who sat right next to her rubbing her back gently in an attempt to calm her. She held sympathy for her sister, because she knew how she'd act if she was in the same situation.

"Daisy" Misty said quietly "stop treating me like a little kid" she then added with a whine which made Daisy laugh.

"Well you are my lil baby sis" Daisy replied, waiting for the inevitable Misty rage.

"What did you say!" Misty said threateningly which brought a smile to Daisy's face.

"Nothing" Daisy lied pathetically which made the red head's eye twitch, but unlike in her youth this time she managed to quell her rising anger.

"Whatever!" Misty huffed, turning her head to the side with a small pout, momentarily forgetting her worries. "So" Misty said calmly "who did you call when I texted Ash?" Misty asked curiously, the worried tone in her voice returning which slightly frustrated the usually elegant woman.

"Uhh Tracey" Daisy replied unsurely, the hint of regret in her voice was instantly picked up by Misty who gave her a deathly stare which kind of worried the blonde Waterflower a bit.

"Don't tell me" Misty whispered scarily making Daisy flinch "that you told him?" Misty finished, making a cold chill run up Dasiy's spine.

"Umm, no" Daisy said far too quickly and guiltily to sound honest.

"DAISY!" Misty erupted causing the older woman to scream and retreat a few paces. "Why do you have such a big mouth?" Misty cried out in horror "he's going to tell everyone in Pallet town now" Misty said with tears threatening to arrive. After all even if Ash didn't react negatively, which she thought was a foregone conclusion, she knew he'd definitely be annoyed if he found out last.

"Woah calm it lil sis" Daisy said soothingly, not wanting to see her sister cry. "Trust me, your secret is safe with Tracey" Daisy said confidently, unfortunately Misty didn't share the same confidence in her friend.

"Oh and why is that?" Misty said almost spitefully. "Tracey cannot say no to anyone, and he can't lie either, it's a recipe for disaster" Misty claimed as her worries intensified.

"Look I told him to keep it secret" Daisy tried to justify her actions.

"Why didn't YOU just keep it secret" Misty replied, too angry and upset to care about potentially upsetting her older sister, who practically raised her after her parents died.

"You know me lil sis, I'm really bad at keeping secrets, even you know that" Daisy whined from a distance. "I had to tell someone and Tracey was the best person to tell" Daisy said with a smile "he won't tell anyone if I tell him not to" Daisy said confidently which seemed to get through to the almost rampaging red head.

"Wait, what?" Misty asked, flabbergasted by the declaration.

"Trust me on this lil sis. He totally has a good reason to keep it secret" Daisy informed the younger Waterflower.

"Oh yeah and what is that?" Misty asked, ready to give her sister some leeway for the moment.

"He'll get no more action" Daisy said bluntly which made Misty do a double take before laughing, much to Daisy's surprise.

"That's cruel" Misty claimed "but good for me" she added, sounding convinced by Daisy's claim. "Though if he does tell" Misty said in a threatening tone which Daisy understood instantly.

"Yeah I know lil sis, now calm down and like smile for once" Daisy 'ordered' her sister who 'hmphed' in response, yet despite this she seemed to be a little happier, something that pleased the eldest Waterflower immensely.

* * *

As Misty and Daisy continued their sisterly talk, the other duo of sisters arrived home from their long shopping trip, lugging around so many bags that it was a wonder that they could carry them. As they entered the main living area, they both spotted Daisy and Misty chatting which made them kind of jealous that they weren't involved.

"I'm like home!" Violet declared loudly as she walked over to them, seemingly unfazed by the heavy bags she was still carrying. "I totally got some brilliant conditioner" she practically sung "and some clothes, and more clothes, and some make-up wait" she said as she turned to Lily. "We did get the make-up right?" she asked making Lily nod slowly, visibly embarrassed by Violet, who acted like the biggest airhead of the family.

This embarrassment however went unnoticed by the blue haired woman who looked Misty up and down, instantly picking up the worry she was masking. "No offense lil Mis, but you really don't look too good" Violet said as she flicked her hair before adding "well at least my hair is fabulous" which made her three sisters wonder how she linked those two things together in the same sentence.

"Well I'm like totally going, I need to have a shower so make sure you aren't going to be sick" Violet said cheerily as she made for the exit, dragging along Lily in the process.

After the two had left Misty let out a small, low growl of frustration which in turn made Daisy feel slightly annoyed at Misty's quick to anger attitude. "Don't be angry lil sis, Vi doesn't know, I'm sure she'd act differently if she did" Daisy said in such a way that it showed she didn't completely believe her own words.

"I know" Misty said in a depressed manner "all she cares about is her hair" Misty then added in an almost moping tone which caused the eldest sister to laugh, which in turn earned her a glare for her troubles.

"Well her hair is pretty fabulous" Daisy said as she opened her eyes to see Misty still glaring which made her shrink a little. "How about we tell them?" she then suggested which made the red head arch one of her brows.

"Before Ash finds out?" Misty queried, obviously not liking the sound of someone else finding out before the actual father did.

"How about during you tell him?" Daisy added which truth be told didn't sound like a good idea to Misty, but she was honestly starting to become too tired to complain, it had been an emotionally tiring day after all.

"Fine" Misty agreed with a sigh.

"Are you sure you're okay lil sis?" Daisy then added getting a small nod from her baby sister, something that told Daisy that Misty still hadn't really come to terms with the fact that she was pregnant.

"Hmm" Daisy hummed and looked at the time. "I think I might like go and cook something" Daisy said with more enthusiasm than was required, but it certainly kicked Misty into gear.

"No!" Misty blurted out before looking away. "Get Lil to do it, I'm in no mood to stop kitchen fires Dais" Misty said in exasperation which brought a smile to Daisy's face.

"Oh, sorry big sis" Daisy replied sarcastically whilst nodding, despite this she was constantly smiling which let Misty know she was only joking. "Well I think I'll go get Lil" she added before skipping away to leave Misty to her ever negative thoughts.

Alone once more, Misty's thoughts swiftly became depressing, the one thought that seemed to make her feel the worst, which was coincidentally the thought that came up the most was _"Ash is going to hate me" _and once she thought it, she couldn't stop until she almost brought herself to tears.

* * *

Once Ash arrived in Cerulean the sun had completely set and the sky was littered with stars, something uncommon for most cities which often blocked out the stars with thick smoke or tall buildings.

As planned Ash pulled out his Pokégear and found his mum's name on the list. 'Hey mum, won't be home tonight, had to go to Cerulean' Ash texted quickly before closing the device and heading straight towards the gym, as he reached the doors he finally got a reply. 'Ok dear, say hi to Misty for me... don't get caught' was his mothers reply, usually Ash would shrug something like this off, but the fact that the message was accompanied by a heart and a smile put Ash off guard. _"When in the world did mum start acting like that?" _Ash thought incredulously as he shook his head and slipped the device back into his pocket.

As he looked at the exterior Ash sighed in relief that the gym wasn't damaged, but that just left him more curious as to what the problem was. "Well no point standing around" Ash said to Pikachu gaining a cute squeal in reply as he pressed the doorbell to the gym which was opened by Misty instantly, as if she was waiting right next to the door.

"Hey Mist I'm here" Ash said with a smile, making her gasp slightly. "So uh, what's the emergency?" Ash asked unsurely as he looked behind her to see if everything looked fine. "Did something happen?" Ash then asked worriedly when he didn't get a response, which made Misty smile inwardly. She felt bad about it but she kind of felt good when Ash worried for her.

"...Mist?" he questioned the woman who was still quiet "are you okay?" he asked.

"Pfft" she stifled a laugh making his eyes go wide. "Oh Ash I'm sure your imagination got the best of you..." Misty responded calmly. _"Yeah there is no way you'd have guessed this" _Misty thought as the apprehension returned. "Come in" she then offered, stepping to the side to give him entrance to the gym.

"So... there's nothing wrong?" Ash asked unsurely, even Pikachu did to the best of his ability which made Misty gasp again, just making Ash suspicious in the process.

"Look I really need to tell you something" Misty said quietly and walked to the nearby stairs and walked up them. When Ash didn't follow she turned around and gave him a small smile. "Hurry up" she said 'angrily' for added effect which seemed to work because Ash ran straight over her and followed her from behind.

Once they got to the top of the steps Ash realised that he'd actually never seen the living area in the gym which was kind of like a very big apartment. "Wow" Ash said in an impressed tone that made Misty grin.

As the two walked past the living room area, the one voice Misty didn't want to hear appeared again. "Why hello there champion" the second oldest Waterflower joked making the pair flinch in unison. "Oooh sneaking a guy in..." Violet said as she raised both eyebrows "haha have fun lil Mis" she said suggestively bringing a blush to both Ash and Misty's faces.

"Violet stop it" Daisy said all of sudden coming into the room from a different entrance.

"Uh you're like no fun Dais!" Violet said in response, a little concerned that Daisy had used her name instead of her nickname.

"Well, I have something to tell both you and Lily, so go get your sister and come downstairs" Daisy said as she turned to Misty and gave her a small nod which was returned by the youngest Waterflower.

"Uh what's all this about?" Ash asked as she watched Violet huff and walk towards Lily's room.

"I-It's nothing Ash" Misty stammered before grabbing his arm and pulling him down the hallway. "Well it is something but you'll find out" Misty then said quickly, almost too quickly for Ash to comprehend.

"_Is she nervous or something?" _Ash wondered as they stopped in front of a door which Misty swiftly opened before pulling him through it. "Uh this is... plain" Ash said honestly.

"Oh thanks Mr. Pokémon Master" Misty said sarcastically. "Sorry if my room isn't as... colourful as yours is" she added, sounding kind of teasing, well as teasing as you could sound with such an unenthusiastic tone.

"This is your room?" Ash asked instantly as he surveyed the surrounding area, it had all the normal essentials, a desk, a television, a laptop which rested on the desk, a double bed as well as a few knickknacks. Something that did catch his eye however was a picture of him and Misty standing around, it was a picture from when they were kids, he did notice though that Brock was also in the picture, but so far in the background that he was almost unnoticeable.

"Yes Ash" she sighed "this is my room" she added tiredly as she sat down on the bed and laid back.

"Y-your sister wasn't being serious right?" Ash asked with wide eyes, apparently Misty's position on the bed had sparked his imagination, which was something that Misty wasn't sure to feel happy or annoyed about.

"Uh no" Misty said with a snort. "It's... actually quite serious Ash" she followed up quietly, the previous humour gone from her voice when she said it.

"So..." Ash said as he walked over to a nearby chair and sat himself down. "...tell me?" he asked curiously making her smile.

"Well I went to the doctors today" Misty said with a small grimace as if she regretted going there in the first place. "You see I was being sick quite a bit" she revealed which suddenly sparked worry within Ash's mind.

"Y-you're not dying are you?" Ash jumped to the conclusion, his words just made Misty blink in shock, truthfully she almost laughed but she stopped herself.

"No, I'm not dying" Misty replied which seemed to release much to the relief of the young champion.

"Thank Arceus" he sighed, wiping his brow. "So... what was it, what happened at the doctor's Mist?" Ash asked with renewed worry, Pikachu did the same, except he ran up to her and sat next to her, proclaiming his worries with small 'pika' noises.

"Well... about that" Misty said as she diverted her eyes from Ash's and to the floor. "I-I'm..." she began stuttering, "P-" she started but she was cut off by a loud scream that caught both Ash and Misty by surprise.

"What was that?" Ash said as his head darted to the door as loud stomping noises came from the stairs. "Uh Mist..." Ash said unsurely as the loud footsteps got closer. "What were you say-" he started but was cut off by both Violet and Lily bursting through the door, both panting with wide eyes.

"Vi, Lil what are you doing?" Misty screamed at the pair who turned to her with smiles on their faces, which Misty deemed as uncharacteristic.

"Like lil Mis Oh My God, is it true?" Violet screamed excitedly which caused Ash to cover his ears briefly to block out the screeching noise that was Violet's screams.

"Like my baby sis is like the one who's having the first baby!" Lily declared in a tone that sounded conflicted between happiness and anger, as if she wanted to be the first one. Unfortunately this small declaration was why Misty knew it would be a bad idea if her sisters found out at the same time as Ash.

"Eh?" Ash blurted out as he took his hands away from his ears. "Wait..." Ash said as he walked back a little "..." he sighed out inaudibly, his eyes glazing over a little.

"Ash... it's not what you" Misty tried to explain worriedly until she got a good look at Ash's expression. His pupils had gone really tiny and his face had already lost some colour, the reaction hurt Misty greatly but she didn't show it.

"Like what's wrong with him?" Violet and Lily said in unison as they watched Ash Ketchum, the champion of the Kanto region, freeze up from what seemed to be information overload... or common shock.

"B-B-Baby?" Ash asked mechanically which made Misty recoil, once again feeling pain from how upset he sounded.

"Well duhhh" Lily and Violet said in unison once more, making Misty flinch for Ash who seemingly couldn't achieve it at this moment in time.

"Wait... what..." Ash said slowly, but the pink and blue haired Waterflowers were already moving onto asking Misty questions.

"So like who's the daddy?" Lily asked excitedly making Misty grimace.

"Is it" Violet asked and turned towards Ash "Hi-" she started but she was cut off by an irate Misty.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM" Misty exploded causing the two women to flee in terror, meanwhile Ash, seemingly on autopilot also headed towards the door. "Not you too Ash!" Misty shouted "get back here" she then added which made Ash backtrack to where he was prior.

As Ash put his back to the wall Misty got to her feet and closed her bedroom door. "Ash..." Misty whispered in fear, the person in question nodded his head before she could say anything else. "Are you... okay?" she asked warily.

"Never better" Ash responded in monotone which hurt her even more.

"_It's going worse than I expected" _Misty thought as she tried to swallow the mass of negative emotion that was somehow forming inside her stomach of all places, or at least it felt like that. _"He looks like one of those people who have been hypnotized" _Misty thought. "Hmm" she murmured and clicked her fingers which miraculously snapped Ash out of his stupor.

"Woah" Ash mumbled before shaking his head. "What happened, everything just went white" Ash said with shock which made Misty's heart clench inside her chest.

"Ash... do you remember anything?" Misty whispered.

"I heard something about a baby" Ash admitted before slouching against the wall and sighing. "What was all that about?" he asked, as if he'd already erased it from his memory.

"I'm..." Misty started once more and took a deep breath, biting on her lip slightly as if she just wanted to keep it secret and never let anyone know. "Pregnant' she conceded as she shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see Ash's response.

"...WHAT?" Ash almost screamed, it wasn't angry, instead it sounded more shocked, and slightly panicked. "Wait... as in PREGNANT, Pregnant?" Ash asked stupidly which made Misty growl a little.

"Well what other types of pregnant is there Ash?" Misty asked sarcastically which chilled the atmosphere in the room and made everything go silent.

Moments passed and then the silence was broken, not by words but laughter. This laughter made Misty's eyes widen, the laughter sounded forced to Misty, it may not have been obvious to most people, but Misty knew Ash Ketchum was forcing it. "Ash?" she asked reluctantly as Ash got to his feet and approached her.

"You had me going there for a second" Ash said whilst faking laughter, slapping her on the shoulder a little too hard in the process. "You pregnant?" he said in disbelief before laughing again, the way he said it made Misty's very well kept emotions start to waver. "So" he said as if playing along with a joke "who's the lucky father" he continued as if everything Misty had said was a big joke, which just made her feel worse and worse, eventually forming a few tears in the corner of her eyes.

"I-It has to be you Ash" Misty said softly as a few tears escaped her eyes, Ash didn't notice the tears visibly, but by the sound of her voice, he could tell she was crying. "I'm not surprised you find the idea stupid" Misty said in a self-depreciating way which made Ash feel terrible.

"W-wait Mist a-are you being serious?" Ash asked in a worried tone, the jokes had been pushed aside the moment Misty began to cry. His question wasn't answered by words but a nod of resignation that made Ash's mind go blank.

As tears ran down her beautiful face Ash just watched, trying to comprehend what he had been told. _"This isn't right" _Ash thought as he watched the usually strong woman cry in front of him. _"What have I done" _he thought angrily as he continued to watch.

"Your angry right" Misty said in between a few sobs, which sparked Pikachu to hop onto her to shoulder and pet her cheek affectionately, an act that Misty reciprocated towards the electric mouse. "I-I-I bet you hate me for this right?" Misty said as she began to full on sob which made Ash's heart wretch, he could never bare to see anyone he cared about cry, not his mum, and certainly not Misty. "If I was you I'd be angry" Misty then added as if pitying him.

"What are you talking about?" Ash responded instinctively, his mind still blank and yet the words were clear as if they were thought out, the tone in which he said it was one of true surprise, which in turn affected the youngest Waterflower.

"...?" Misty asked inaudibly as she watched Ash get from his position and approached her, before she knew it, Ash's strong arms were enveloping her, causing her to gasp in surprise, and yet a small smile formed on her face as she wrapped her arms around him. "A-ash" she whispered which seemed to kick his brain into action.

"I'm not angry" Ash said as he reached for the ginger hair he was enamoured with and stroked it softly. "I could never hate you" he admitted to her which seemed to make the tears on Misty's face slow down. "I was surprised is all" Ash said as he broke the embrace, Misty reached out as if seeking out his warmth again but he got too far away for her to do it.

"I've done something terrible" Ash admitted as he fell back against another wall. "I'm sorry, so, so sorry" Ash said as if he was begging for forgiveness and then he went silent. "...You could just abort" Ash then said which made the red head flinch.

"No" she responded instantly which caused him to blink rapidly, after all he wasn't expecting that reaction.

"_Wait she wants to keep it?" _Ash thought almost despairingly, after all he knew what it was like to grow up without the love of two parents, it wouldn't be fair on the child. "Mist do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked quickly which made her shake her head. "Then why?" he asked, not understanding why she sounded so adamant.

"I don't know, I just... want to keep it, I don't want to kill my baby" she admitted, she didn't know why she said it either, in fact it was an instinctive reply.

"B-but Mist... think about it" Ash said as he walked forward and sat down on the floor in front of her. "It's me, me!" he repeated as if to emphasize the point. "If you gave birth, I'd be a terrible dad" he said which genuinely surprised Misty.

"W-what?" Misty replied, dumbfounded. "You mean... if I gave birth, you'd actually act like its father?" she asked dubiously as if not believing what she'd heard. This in return made Ash fidget and look away.

"I'd have to" Ash said as he glared at the floor, something that didn't go unseen by Misty. "I grew up without remembering my dad, I wouldn't do that to... my... kid" he said slowly as if letting the information sink it. "Uhh this is... difficult" Ash said with a small laugh, still not being able to comprehend everything.

"Look you can... keep it" Ash resigned, he knew Misty wouldn't give up on her decision and he respected that, even if it did scare him a little. "Well... if you don't mind putting up with me that is" Ash joked with a smile, "I would let it know it's father" Ash said reluctantly which brought an unmissable smile to Misty's face, seemingly drying up her torrent of tears in the process.

"Ash" she whispered "why do you have to be so sweet at times" she said before covering her mouth in embarrassment, this however made the young champion laugh.

"Sorry" Ash joked "I guess I should work on that?" he added with made her grin, but then a few small tears escaped her eyes. "W-wait did I say something stupid again?" Ash asked in a panic which made her shake her head.

"No, I'm just a little happy" Misty admitted. "I thought you'd hate me... I'm glad" she said in almost a giddy tone. That is before Ash got to his feet and tapped her on the head.

"Mist... I could never ever hate you, I couldn't even hate Paul, and he wasn't one of the most important people to me" Ash said before covering his mouth too. "I mean one of my best friends, he wasn't one of my best friends" Ash covered up which made Misty blush a little.

"Lean down" Misty 'ordered' and with much reluctance he did so, only to be met with another kiss on the cheek which surprised him. "You can be so sweet at times Mr. Ketchum, did I tell you that?" she asked with a giggle as she wiped her eyes.

"Yeah you just did" Ash said shyly as he looked away. "Umm, why do you keep giving me kisses all of a sudden?" Ash blurted out quickly which made her laugh.

"No reason" Misty said happily before getting to her feet. "Now, I bet you're hungry" Misty said which seemed to hit a nerve because Ash's stomach rumbled instantly afterwards.

"Hah, how did you know?" Ash asked making the young woman laugh.

"Because it's you" she droned "now come on, let me make you something, you flew over after all" Misty said giving him no room to decline.

"Uhh ok" Ash said as he followed her out of the room with Pikachu in tow.

As Misty reached the stairs she turned around and gave Ash another smile which he reciprocated, the small act seemed to make her feel overwhelming happiness within her heart. _"Perhaps Ash may come to like me" _she thought as she grinned at him. _"New beginnings" _she thought as her memories drifted back to Suicune _"it could be"_ she thought optimistically as she put a hand over her stomach _"thank you" _she thanked the miracle inside her stomach in advance for choosing them all of people.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ah damn I hate this chapter it feels a little rushed, but at least I got the difficult part out of the way, from here on out I can finally develop the plot, you may think wait there is so much more to talk about in regards to the baby, and yes there is, but that will be discussed between the two at their own pace.

Once again thank you my reviewers for your support, all you readers are fantastic, and I'd appreciate to hear your views on the story so far.

Well that is all for now, I hope you enjoyed it.

-Aquilon


	8. A Living Arrangement Part One

Responsibilities Chapter Eight

_Wow, last chapter got the most reviews of all my chapters, so thank you so much, it was so good to see what people thought of my writing, anyways onto the next chapter, there's writing to be done :D_

A Living Arrangement (Part One)

Controversial awakenings were becoming quite a common event for Ash Ketchum ever since becoming the champion of Kanto. Something strange or out of the ordinary for him happened every single day and following this pattern it was natural for something strange to occur once more. "Uh how did this happen?" Ash mumbled to himself in confusion as he spied his red headed friend sleeping next to him with a small smile on her face.

Usually Ash would be panicking when something like this happened, but since he'd already committed dire acts with the woman, something trivial as waking up with her next to him wasn't going to faze him... much. "Uhh... seriously?" Ash mumbled to himself once more as if it was some kind of sick joke "didn't I fall asleep in the guest room?" he added sleepily as he eased himself up to survey the room to spot that it was indeed the guest room of the Cerulean Gym.

"This makes no sense" Ash added as he turned to look at the ginger haired woman "she didn't sneak into my bed did she?" Ash asked himself before laughing inwardly. _"As if, this is Mist we're talking about" _Ash thought as he began to creep out of the bed, just for something to hook onto his arm, causing him to freeze.

"You've got to be kidding me" Ash muttered as some fear crept its way into his voice. _"You chose the worst freaking time to try and cuddle something in your sleep Mist!" _Ash screamed into his mind as his eyes went wide, his instincts telling him to escape.

So with this in mind, Ash tried to gently weave his body away, but since his 'opponent' was Misty it wasn't going to end so easily. Just as he got close to breaking her grip the woman pulled back hard, which made the raven haired man to fall back onto the bed causing him to gasp, worried that it would wake the red head, luckily it didn't. _"It's as if she's awake and torturing me for fun" _he thought as he pictured Misty as a Skitty 'playing' with him who was a Rattata trying his best to escape.

As Ash's mind conjured more creative images the gym leader poked her eye open and giggled inwardly as she rolled closer to the man, making made him flinch before relaxing a little, this action brought a small, content smile to the woman's lips.

Truth be told, she had no idea how she ended up sleeping next to him since she remembered going to sleep in her room. Much like Ash she was surprised about the position they were in, however unlike the young champion, Misty enjoyed the thought of waking up next to each other and didn't want the moment to end faster than it had to.

It was this desire that allowed Misty to act bolder than usual which culminated in her pressing herself right up against the young man, mentally admiring his strong body. "Gee Mist you sure know how to make me feel flustered you know Ash told the 'sleeping' Misty as his hand subconsciously reached into her ginger hair.

"_I should really stop this" _Ash thought as he knew it was wrong and it gave off the wrong impression, but Ash had always been strangely attracted to her hair colour, which wasn't common in Kanto. As he continued to stroke in he heard the woman giggle which was quickly stifled, this caused him to cease stroking immediately.

Raising an eyebrow Ash said "you're awake aren't you" in an almost annoyed tone, when in fact it was due to embarrassment.

"...No" Misty chortled girlishly which took Ash by surprise, not only because she didn't sound angry, but because she still hadn't let go of his arm.

"Mist" Ash said sternly making her peek at him through her green eyes, laughing in the process, which just furthered the Pokémon master's embarrassment. "Let go" Ash added which made her giggle again.

"No" she said childishly as she opened her eyes fully, meeting his hazel ones for a brief moment before he turned away. "This is just too much fun" Misty claimed happily as she watched his face take on a small blush.

"W-well it's not fun for me" Ash said as he moved his arm erratically in Misty's vice-grip embrace, accomplishing nothing in the process. "T-this shouldn't be fun for you" Ash said as he remembered a few times when Misty found joy from annoying him, instantly assuming that is why she was having so much fun.

"Well it is" she said with a smile "besides, if you didn't want me here you wouldn't have brought me here" Misty said, not believing a word she said, since Ash wasn't that kind of person.

"Wait what?" Ash said in shock, confirming her beliefs in the process. "Clearly it's you who snuck in here!" Ash said back competitively.

"Did not!" Misty said in a playful way in stark contrast to the violent way she used to protest to the Pokémon master when they were kids.

"Did too!" Ash claimed, but much like Misty it wasn't that violent, in fact it seemed like he was playing back.

"Nuh-uh" Misty continued softly.

"Yuh-huh" Ash replied which made Misty giggle.

When she stopped giggling, Ash and Misty heard something, two more giggles which made them tense up and turn towards to the door where they spotted two pairs of eyes peeking at them. "Eep!" the duo in bed heard which made Misty turn bright red and quickly let go of Ash.

"Aw youuu twooo" the recently awakened couple heard as Lily and Violet entered the room with grins on their faces, more so Violet than Lily, but a grin was present on the pinkette's face. "Like seriously Misty carrying you was such a pain but it was worth it, right Lil?" Violet said airheadedly.

"Like totally Vi" she replied as she covered her mouth to hide a small laugh.

"Y-you two!" Misty growled angrily at her sisters which surprised Ash and made the unidentical twins burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Like don't get so angry Lil Mis" Lily said as she tried to disguise her laughter, something that Violet didn't attempt. "I mean you sure didn't look angry" Lily said with a squee, clearly finding the sight of Ash and Misty 'flirting' adorable.

"Nuh-uhh" Violet poorly imitated her youngest sister through her giggles that made Ash cover his eyes which suddenly started to feel really hot.

"Yuh-huh" Lily then added with a better impression, which made Misty heat up even more, some from anger, but most of it was from embarrassment.

"Like I'd tell you two to get a room buuut" Violet said as if mocking her sister before a pillow hit her bang on in the face knocking her over. "W-wha" Violet muffled in shock as she detached the pillow from her face just in time to watch her younger twin sister get hit in the face with a pillow.

"You two..." Misty growled deeper which scared Ash in the process. "GET OUT!" Misty roared which made both of them nod in absolute agreement before getting to their feet and scampering out of the room wordlessly.

"Wow..." Ash said after a long whistle, clearly impressed, and slightly frightened at the same time, by how Misty dealt with her sisters.

"Uhh" Misty murmured awkwardly and rolled as far as she could from Ash. "Maybe... she should" Misty started quietly, but before she could finish she felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I don't feel so good" Misty said as she quickly jumped out of the bed and ran towards the bathroom connected to the guest room.

"Misty are you oka-" Ash asked from the bed moments before a gut wrenching noise, commonly associated with those who are throwing up reached his ears.

As if on instinct, the man jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom, to spot Misty throwing up in the toilet, it would be a lie if he said he wasn't disgusted, but that didn't deter him from walking over to her. "I guess this is what you meant last night" Ash stated the obvious as Misty let rip once more and by the sound of it, it was quite painful.

"No.." Misty said as she threw up some more "shit" Misty concluded as she let out some more painfully, causing her eyes to burn as well.

Hearing this pained voice Ash inexplicably put his hand on her back and rubbed it gently, it didn't really ease the pain, but it somehow made Misty feel better, this continued until she finished. Once done Ash got up and walked back a few paces, clearly revolted. "Uh I'll just get dressed" Ash said awkwardly as he walked back into the guest room, leaving Misty alone in the bathroom.

"_Ash you really give off mixed signals" _Misty thought as she flushed the chain and washed her mouth out before smiling. _"Not that I don't mind that most of them are positive" _she thought as she found her reflection smiling at her. _"I could get used to this" _she then thought gleefully as she made her way back into the room with a renewed smile.

* * *

After an eventful breakfast which involved Ash and Misty being completely embarrassed by the Waterflower siblings, Daisy included, the pair found themselves sitting alone in the living room working on what was known as 'damage limitation'. This was in fact Misty's idea since she knew Ash wasn't the type to make preparations for this sort of thing.

"So how exactly do we prevent the media from ripping us to shreds?" Misty asked in a merciless fashion as she played with the string of her yellow hoodie.

"Will that really be a problem?" Ash asked as he stroked Pikachu's head, completely unaware of how bad the media could be which kind of ticked the red head off in the process.

"Ash you're the champion" she told him which somehow gave him a small ego boost. "Do you know what they'd do if they found out that they were right about Celadon?" Misty asked Ash who shook his head honestly making Misty sigh. "It'd be a huge scandal and it would completely ruin the image of Cerulean Gym and yourself of course" Misty said frankly which made Ash sweat a little.

"Couldn't we just not tell them?" Ash asked dumbly.

"Ash I'm pregnant and a gym leader, someone is going to notice eventually and it doesn't take a genius to come up with a good idea of who the father is" Misty said irritably, but at the same time softly when she talked about Ash being the father.

"Uh yeah good point" Ash said as he leaned forward. "So any good ideas?" Ash asked the woman who slipped one of the ends of the string into her mouth before humming in concentration which actually looked kind of cute to Ash.

"No" Misty said which made Ash facepalm. "Well sorry" Misty said sarcastically which in turn made the Pokémon master sigh.

"Know anyone who's had children?" Ash asked Misty, making sure to steer clear of talking about her parents as he already knew what'd happened to them.

"No" Misty mumbled half-heartedly as she continued to concentrate. "Wait, I've got it" Misty said suddenly which ended up catching Ash by surprise.

"What is it?" Ash asked impatiently, mainly because he wanted all the serious talk to end as soon as possible.

"Well we both know someone who has" Misty started with a grin "and it'd be great to get them in on the story" Misty said with such enthusiasm that it caught Ash's undivided attention.

"Who?" Ash asked making Misty giggle.

"You're mum of course" Misty answered, causing the black haired man to turn pale white. "...Not good?" Misty asked as she spotted his sudden change in complexion.

"Uh not really" Ash said honestly, it was clear that he didn't like the thought of his mum finding out.

"Why?" Misty asked despite knowing that it would make Ash feel uncomfortable.

"She'll get angry" Ash claimed which make the red head burst out into a fit of giggles, confusing the young master who was being completely serious with his claims.

"Ash..." Misty said as a fear tears reached her eyes from laughing too hard. "I'm sure your mum would be thrilled" Misty informed the man who shook his head in denial "it's true!" Misty added, but once again Ash shook his head.

"Look she'll find out one day and wouldn't it be better for you to tell her now, the longer you leave it the more angry she'll get" Misty said as if admitting Delia would get angry, but she doubted anything of the sort.

"You're right with that" Ash admitted reluctantly "and I guess she would be a lot of help" Ash added which made Misty smile.

"Great" Misty said as she got to her feet "let's go today!" Misty exclaimed excitedly causing the young man to do a double take.

"Woah, woah slow down Mist" Ash said quickly. "Don't you think things are moving too quickly, leave it a few days yeah?" Ash tried to reason but Misty shook her head.

"Ash I'm a gym leader, I can't just take random days off, it's better to take consecutive days off than at random" Misty claimed, but this made no sense to Ash, yet he accepted nonetheless.

"I guess" Ash agreed. "Fine, today it is" Ash agreed making Misty smile.

"Great, be right back, I have to get my sisters to look after the gym" Misty said as she trudged out of the room.

"Wow she sure is enthusiastic" Ash said as Pikachu awoke and made his way onto his shoulder.

"Well of course she is stupid" Ash heard from the door, making him turn around to spot the blonde Waterflower smile at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked angrily making the blonde laugh to herself in amusement.

"Oh nothing" Daisy chimed as she walked up to him and placed herself down on the sofa next to him. "So how do you feel about my baby sis?" Daisy asked straightforwardly, catching the young champion by surprise.

Before answering her Ash looked side to side to see if anyone was watching them, when he was sure no-one was he sighed. "Right now?" he queried making the blonde nod her head in agreement and slight curiosity. "I don't know" Ash said honestly. "I think I like her more than a friend, but what that means, I don't know" Ash said sheepishly as he looked away, especially when Pikachu squealed happy about his declaration.

"Ok then champion" Daisy said as she got to her feet and smiled down at him. "I'll entrust my baby sis to you" she said in a confusing manner before winking at him which just added to his confusion.

"You really care for Mist don't you Daisy" Ash said stupidly, but there was some logic behind it because when they first met it didn't seem like Misty was on good terms with any of her sisters.

"Well duh she's my baby sis" Daisy said defensively which made Ash smile. "I'm like going to Pallet Town to visit Tracey" Daisy said huffily whilst looking at him through one eye. "Want me to give you two a lift?" Daisy offered making Ash laugh slightly.

"You were eavesdropping?" Ash asked which made Daisy burst out into a fit of giggles.

"I wouldn't be wrong in saying I don't trust what you two will get up to if I'm not here" Daisy said suggestively, but she was clearly joking, something that Ash picked up on.

"Whatever" Ash said, not feeling in the mood to argue, especially when he knew he'd lose. "Thanks though, Charizard needs to rest I think" Ash said making Daisy shrug.

"Just like make sure you're both ready when I am" Daisy told him before walking off, coincidentally at the same time Misty walked into the room.

"Back, Vi said she could look after the gym today" Misty said with glee.

"Ah good timing Mist" Ash said with a grin. "Daisy just offered us a lift, she's going to see Tracey after all" Ash told her which made Misty sigh wistfully.

"They're so cute" Misty said in reference to Daisy and Tracey which caused as to simulate throwing up, clearly unhappy to listen to Misty and her 'love talk'. "I wonder if Tracey will propose any time soon" Misty said excitedly causing Ash to facepalm.

"Hey!" Misty said angrily at Ash's reaction "what's the big idea?" she almost threatened, clearly unhappy that her daydreams were being openly mocked.

"Misty, its Tracey, something seriously life changing would need to happen before he grew the balls to do it" he said crudely, making Misty laugh in the process.

"Hmm like what?" Misty asked curiously.

"Umm" Ash thought before clicking his fingers. "Like getting her pregnant or something" he said before facepalming again.

"Would that really make him propose?" Misty asked with a small blush on her face which confused Ash a little.

"Probably" Ash shrugged.

"Oh..." Misty said with a smile before giggling. "What would be the odds of Daisy and me being pregnant at the same time?" she asked in a completely secure way, showing she was coming to terms with being pregnant already.

"Extremely low" Ash said seriously which made Misty laugh.

"You know Daisy and Tracey do it a lot" Misty said which made Ash blanch.

"Too much information Mist" Ash replied making her laugh again.

"So... what should be do while we wait?" Misty asked as she shifted the subject since she saw Ash was uncomfortable with the previous one.

"Wait for Daisy" Ash said in a rare moment of patience.

"... That sounds pretty boring" Misty said mischievously, making the young Pokémon master raise his brow curiously.

"What do you suggest then?" Ash asked, genuinely interested in what Misty was planning.

"Battle?" Misty said with a grin.

"You have to be kidding me, we don't have the tim-" Ash said as Misty shook her head.

"No I want to battle the champion" Misty said stubbornly making Ash laugh as a competitive fire burned bright in his eyes.

"Your loss then" Ash said with a small grin. "Lead the way" he then said, which she gladly complied with, walking off towards the main battlefield without turning back once, seemingly confident that she could defeat Ash.

* * *

As the two stood face to face on opposite sides of the pool like battlefield, Misty recited the rules that she followed for all gym matches. "This will be a three on three battle, you can freely change Pokémon whenever you want, any problems?" Misty asked Ash with a competitive grin.

"Fine by me" Ash said as he looked down at Pikachu "you ready buddy?" he asked his friend who shook his head, gone were the days when Pikachu wouldn't fight Misty, something Ash was glad about.

"Good, then I'll go first" Misty said as she pulled a Pokéball off her waist. "Feebas I choose you!" she said as she threw the Pokéball at the water, unveiling the tattered looking fish like Pokémon in all its 'glory'. The sight actually made Ash laugh.

"No offense Misty, but Feebas?" Ash asked in disbelief which made Misty go 'hmph' in reply. "Well anyway, Pikachu let's go!" Ash ordered Pikachu to take the stage, who gladly complied, jumping onto one of the platforms in the pool.

"Ready?" Misty asked Ash who nodded his head. "Ok, begin!" Misty shouted.

"Pikachu let's finish Feebas like before, use thunderbolt!" Ash ordered the electric mouse who instantly began charging electric in his cheeks.

"Pika-chuuuuuu!"

"Feebas dodge by going under water" Misty ordered as Pikachu's wicked thunderbolt hurdled towards Feebas who wisely followed its trainer's command, dodging the attack in the process.

"Good work!" Misty complemented her new Pokémon happily before her eyes went sharp. "What do you think Ash?" Misty asked the champion who smiled.

"Feebas' speed has already increased, it's amazing" Ash complimented making Misty smile. "But that won't be enough to stop Pikachu" Ash said confidently. "Pikachu stay still and wait for Feebas to make its move!" Ash said making Misty slyly smile.

"Feebas use Rain Dance!" Misty ordered catching the champion by surprise as a glowing ball of blue energy flew out of the pool and exploded, forming a few artificial rainclouds which made Pikachu crouch low down, as if trying to escape the rain.

"Good work Feebas, now use Water Pulse!" Misty ordered as the fish flew out of the water at lightning speed.

"Woah that's faster than before!" Ash said in a startled tone as the fish appeared right behind Pikachu.

"Feebas' ability is swift swim Ash" Misty said as Feebas unleashed a devastating water pulse that darted towards the unguarded Pikachu.

"Pikachu dive into the water!" Ash ordered his Pokémon, who much like Feebas, dodged the attack meant for it at a hairs length. "Phew that was lucky" Ash sighed, completely unaware that Misty was smiling at his predicament.

"Good work Feebas, return" Misty complimented as she withdrew Feebas, catching the champion off guard once again. "Now go Gyarados!" Misty ordered making Ash gulp as the large blue serpentine Pokémon appeared in the pool, completely dwarfing the tiny Pikachu who was now practically stranded.

"You fell for my plan Ash" Misty said as she pointed at Pikachu. "Gyarados use whirlpool!" Misty ordered.

"Pikachu quick get out of the water!" Ash cried out.

"Pikapikachu" Pikachu screamed in a panic as he tried to escape onto the platform, but it was no use as it only took milliseconds for the tranquil pool water to become rough and rapid, sending Pikachu into what seemed to be an endless stream of twisting waves.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as Misty folded her arms confidently, feeling some sympathy for the Pikachu who couldn't escape, but at the same time, pride that her plan had worked.

"Hang in there Pikachu!" Ash cried out to Pikachu, willing his Pokémon to stay strong.

"Pi-" Pikachu started before being submerged "ka-chu" he cried out as he gasped for air, seeing this Misty decided to finish it fast.

"Gyarados finish this with Aqua tail!" Misty ordered, which sent Gyarados flying towards Pikachu with a glowing blue tail.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he willed his mind to think. "Wait the water it's stopped whirling" Ash muttered and clicked his fingers. "Pikachu stay strong and land on Gyarados!" Ash cried out to the disorientated Pikachu.

"Chu!" Pikachu said in a mix of confidence and almost sickliness as he stared down the giant water Pokémon, slightly intimidated in the process.

"It's no use Ash" Misty said as Gyarados' tail flew towards Pikachu "he's too dizzy" Misty said gaining a small chuckle from Ash.

"I'm surprised at you Misty, remember this is my Pikachu!" Ash said confidently making Misty flinch in uncertainty as Gyarados' tail crashed into the water, causing a large blanket of water to fly into the air, obscuring the view of the battlefield.

"Surely that's done it" Misty said as she stared at field only to spot Pikachu panting on top of Gyarados' large frame. "What?" Misty exclaimed as Ash punched the air.

"Good work Pikachu, now use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered but Misty wasn't out of tricks yet.

"Pika-"

"Gyarados use bind!" Misty called out to the creature in a panic.

"ch-" Pikachu cried but it was completely cut off as Gyarados constricted around him, making him go completely silent.

"That's it!" Misty said happily sure that Pikachu was out of the fray however this proved not to be the case as seconds later, multiple streams of electrical energy covered Gyarados' body causing it to cry out in agony, letting go of Pikachu in the process who hopped back to its original platform. "W-what how?" Misty said in shock as she watched Gyarados writhe around painfully.

"Pikachu's ability is static" Ash bragged as he nodded his head in unison with Pikachu who looked tired, yet poised to attack. "You know what that means don't you?" Ash said with a grin as Misty flinched.

"Gyarados is paralysed" Misty said making Ash smile.

"Bingo" Ash said as he looked at Pikachu. "Alright buddy plan b, use Volt Switch!" Ash ordered much to Misty's surprise.

"Gyarados, dodge it!" she ordered but the large serpent couldn't move, affected by its paralysis, effectively leaving it a sitting duck for Pikachu, whom crashed into it causing it to roar out in pain, but still stand strong as Pikachu retreated to Ash's side, calling out his second Pokémon.

"Bay-leef!" the Pokémon that came out of the ball cried happily, surprising Misty who expected a Pokémon with more fire power.

"Bayleef really, are you sure?" Misty taunted, making Bayleef angry.

"Oh I'm sure" Ash said as he looked at Bayleef. "Bayleef use Leech Seed!" he ordered and as planned the Pokémon produced a seed and sent it towards Gyarados who was once again affected by the paralysis and thus couldn't dodge. "All right!" Ash cried out and punched the air as lots of tendrils escaped the seed and completely enveloped Gyarados, sucking away some of his energy.

"Gyara!" the Pokémon cried out painfully but still remained 'standing', gaining the champion's respect in the process.

"Misty that's one powerful Gyarados you've got there" Ash complimented making the Gym leader smile. "But this is the end, Bayleef use Razor Leaf!" he ordered.

"Gyarados flame thrower!" Misty ordered to the water Pokémon which was still flailing around, but this time it got through to the giant serpent which unleashed a frightening stream of fire towards Bayleef, enveloping it.

"Bayleef return!" Ash ordered in a panic.

"Damn!" Misty said quietly as she looked up at Gyarados who was undoubtedly close to fainting. "Return Gyarados" Misty ordered sending the giant serpent back to its Pokéball for the mean time. "Good work Gyarados" Misty told the Pokéball as she put it back on her waist.

"Wow this is a good battle" Ash said with a hint of surprise in his voice, making Misty proud, yet angry at the same time.

"Well it's going to get a lot better and I'm going to win" Misty claimed which made Ash smirk as both of them pulled Pokéballs off their waists.

"Go Vaporeon!""Go Espeon!" the two trainers called out in unison as two Eeveelutions appeared on the battlefield, one landed on the platform and the other swimming in the water. As rain continued to cover the battlefield Misty smiled.

"Wow an Espeon, I didn't know you had one of those" Misty said as she observed the pink cat like creature. "It has nothing on my beautiful Vaporeon though right?" Misty asked her Pokémon who cried out 'Vay' affectionately.

"Whatever Mist you'll see who's the best. Right Espeon?" he asked his Pokémon which cried out 'Esp!' competitively. "Good that's what I like to hear" Ash complimented as he looked at the battlefield, to see that Vaporeon had already disappeared. "Hey!" Ash cried out to Misty who smiled.

"You should have been concentrating" Misty said in reply before staring at the battlefield. "Vaporeon use surf" Misty commanded as a wave of water appeared from Misty's side of the field, in the centre of which was Misty's Vaporeon which glared sharply at Espeon.

"Vayyy!" the Pokémon cried as Espeon stood her ground, waiting for her trainers commands.

"Espeon use psychic on the water!" Ash ordered calmly.

Seconds later as the water got closer, Espeon's eyes glowed and the powerful wave stopped in its tracks, taking Misty and Vaporeon by surprise at the same time. "Eh?" A dumbstruck Misty cried out at what she just witnessed.

"Vayy Vayy!" Vaporeon cried out as it remained motionless in the air.

"Misty, my Espeon is about to teach you a few things" Ash said cockily, yet Misty couldn't scream at him, because the prospect seemed very likely at this moment in time.

"Espeon use Psybeam!" Ash ordered the Pokémon which ceased it's psychic instantly making the water, and Vaporeon to fall towards the pool, however unlike the water, Vaporeon didn't get the luxury of landing where it was safe because a psybeam crashed into sending it flying into a nearby wall.

"Vaporeon!" Misty cried out as she turned to see Vaporeon struggle to get to its feet.

"Quick Espeon use Sunny Day!" Ash ordered, completely ignoring Vaporeon for the time being as Espeon shot a glowing red ball into the sky which formed an artificial sun, cancelling out the rain in the process.

"Vaporeon use Hydro Pump!" Misty ordered but just like before.

"Espeon use psychic!" Ash ordered, completely stopping the water in its tracks.

"No way" Misty mimed in disbelief.

"If I hadn't of used Sunny Day then Espeon could have never stopped that Hydro Pump" Ash assured Misty as he pointed at Vaporeon. "Espeon use Psybeam!" he ordered once more and just like before, Vaporeon couldn't dodge it and itself smashed into the wall.

"Vaporeon!" Misty cried out as she ran over to Vaporeon who was out cold. "You did your best, good job" Misty complemented Vaporeon before returning it and returning to her position. "Well done Ash" Misty said as she surveyed the damage they have already caused, which included a few broken lights and now a few dents in the wall.

"Thanks" Ash said as he pulled out his Pokéball. "Good work Espeon, return" Ash told his Pokémon which called out 'Espeon!' before being enveloped in a red light and returning. "Go Bayleef!" Ash then said calling out Bayleef.

"Bayyy-leef!" the Pokémon cried happily as the sun rained down on it.

"Feebas come on out!" Misty said which made Ash smirk. "It's not over yet Ash, Feebas dive!" Misty ordered but Ash had other plans.

"I don't think so Mist" Ash said with a smile "Bayleef use vine whip to capture Feebas!" he ordered and unlike before, the speedy Feebas couldn't dodge and found itself being held in the air at Bayleef's mercy.

"Oh no" Misty panicked as Ash grinned victoriously.

"Solarbeam" uttered Ash and due to the harsh artificial sunlight, Bayleef was able to unleash the attack instantly, knocking out Feebas in one swoop. "All right! Way to go Bayleef!" Ash screamed as Bayleef cried out affectionately.

"Feebas you tried" Misty said as she returned it to its Pokéball. "Ash it's not over yet, go Gyarados!" Misty said almost half-heartedly as Gyarados took to the field, roaring out loudly, scaring Bayleef in the process.

"Bayleef same as before, use Solar-" Ash said before being cut off.

"GYARADOS, BIND!" Misty roared and this time Gyarados managed to escape his paralysis and capture Bayleef.

"No Bayleef!" Ash said in a panic as Misty grinned. "Return!" Ash called out, but Gyarados' large body prevented escape.

"Flamethrower!" Misty ordered and due to the harshness of the sunlight the attack was amplified, knocking out Bayleef in mere seconds.

"Bayleef return" Ash said as Bayleef landed in the pool. "Good work, have a nice long rest" Ash said to the Pokéball soothingly as he returned it to his waist. "Wow Mist you've really become strong" Ash complimented as he turned to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said as Pikachu cried out happily and took the stage. "This will be over soon" Ash said to himself as he looked at Misty who was starting to look unsteady, or so that's how it looked to Ash. "Hey Mist are you okay?" he called out which made her eyes widen with shock.

"O-of course!" Misty stuttered. "Let's continue the battle" she told him as she covered her stomach. "Gyarados use flamethrower" she commanded the serpent which roared its understanding before letting out a large stream of fire towards the electric mouse.

"Pikachu use quick attack to get on top of Gyarados!" Ash ordered Pikachu who demonstrated its speed by dodging the partially paralysed Gyarados and landing on its tail. "Great work Pikachu" Ash said as Gyarados roared, waiting for commands, but Misty didn't give them, instead she just covered her stomach.

At the very same moment an impatient Daisy entered the battle area to see a complete wreck, alongside a roaring Gyarados and a powerful Pikachu. As she observed the scene she noticed that Misty was clutching her stomach, much like she had done when she was about to be sick.

"Pikachu use Gyarados' body as a runway for Volt Tackle!" Ash ordered and like planned Pikachu ran up Gyarados' body and delivered a powerful Volt Tackle into the underside of the head, the force was so great that it send Gyarados crashing down, inches away from Misty who hadn't given a command in a while.

"All right we won!" Ash said excitedly as he turned to his opponent to gloat only to spot her keeling over. "Mist?" he asked with a hint of fear in his voice as he watched her slowly collapse at the poolside. "Mist!" he shouted in fear as he and Pikachu ran around the pool edge to meet her, Daisy who was on the other side of the room did the same thing, reaching Misty at the same time Ash did.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked as he looked at Misty who's eyes were open, but she seemed to be breathing heavily.

"I'm fine" Misty said weakly as Daisy looked into her eyes.

"Nuh-uh you're not fine, are you an idiot Lil Sis, battling in your condition?" Daisy scolded her little sister.

"I am!" Misty said childishly as she got into a seated position and put a hand on her stomach which made both Daisy and Ash cringe.

"Are you going to be sick again?" Ash asked with a hint of dread in his voice, Daisy understood why and truth be told, felt the same way.

"No... I don't think so" Misty said before covering her mouth and getting to her knees, however this time she didn't let out the contents of her stomach, much to the relief of the two present.

"Lil sis" Daisy said as she brought a hand to Misty's back. "Do you still want to go to Pallet?" Daisy asked, guessing it was a good a time as ever to ask.

"Y-yeah" Misty said before Ash copied Daisy's actions and put his hand on her back.

"You can go another time you know" Ash added but Misty shook her head.

"I'm not a little kid Ash" Misty protested making the Pokémon master laugh.

"Clearly" Ash said as he stood up and reached a hand out to Misty, pulling her up when she grabbed it. "Well I win this time" Ash then said making Misty frown before laughing as she sneakily interweaved her fingers with Ash's.

"I guess so" Misty said in a downtrodden tone and recalled Gyarados. "But I'll win next time" Misty said as Daisy got to her feet, her eyes transfixed on the couple in front of her.

"Maybe" Ash said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Nuh-uh, definitely" Misty said with a giggle which in turn made Daisy smile happily for her sister, it was sad but she knew she had to break up the cute scene.

"Nuh-" Ash started but he was silenced by Daisy.

"Hurry up you two lovebirds" Daisy said making Ash and Misty turn beet red. "I don't want to wait any longer" she told them before walking away, Misty and Ash seeing this smiled at each other and followed from behind, hands still linked together, much to the joy of the future mother, and water Pokémon Master.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Ok the chapter name may actually confuse you, but that's because the bulk of this two parter will be in the next section of the chapter. This chapter involves the first battle and it was seriously difficult to write, I am not sure if I am cut out for battles so please tell me what you thought.

Like always I want to thank my fantastic reviewers for all their views and it makes me so happy as an author to see people enjoying my work.

Either way, next chapter Delia will find out, so I'm sure that will be a doozy of a chapter.

Hope you enjoyed

-Aquilon


	9. Living Arrangements Part Two

Responsibilities Chapter Nine

Hey guys, just a forewarning I am going through the test period, as in EXAMS, and well I had one today and have some next week and the week after. Yet don't worry I'll try my best to update but I am not sure if I'll be able to.

Living Arrangements (Part Two)

As the trio journeyed towards Pallet Town under the mid-day sun, the transgression that occurred during his battle with Misty plagued his mind. He didn't know why, but whenever he saw the image of Misty collapsing he felt a wave of tension that forced him to turn to the red head who sat in the back on the car with him, just to see if she was ok.

"Stop worrying" Misty said softly, a hint of happiness in her tone that didn't go unheard by her sister who was in the driving seat. "I'm all right now" the woman added with a smile which seemed to assure the champion of Kanto, of course he wasn't going to admit this, not verbally anyway.

"Hah, as if, I wasn't even worried" Ash lied and looked away which made Pikachu laugh at him to the best of his ability.

"Aw lil sis he is so getting embarrassed" Daisy chimed from the driver's seat, momentarily taking her eye off the road in the process to spy the look of happiness on Misty's face through the mirror, inwardly squealing at the cuteness.

"S-stop that Dais!" Misty cried back instantly, seemingly 'embarrassed' by her attitude, but she wouldn't deny that she loved the idea of Ash being worried about her safety, it just made her feel so much better about everything.

"Aw don't get embarrassed I think it's cute" Daisy exclaimed joyously, making the red head's face turn the same shade as her hair. "Still not as cute as me and Tracey, but close" Daisy joked which made Ash huff as if he wasn't impressed by what Daisy was saying.

"Yeah well unlike you two Mist and I are just friends" Ash half-heartedly muttered under his breath, to be honest he knew there were worse things than being 'paired' with Misty, but he thought it was kind of insulting to Misty to be paired with him.

"Well you shouldn't be!" Daisy declared loudly, accentuating her words by raising her hands off the wheel.

"Dais grab the wheel!" Misty screamed from behind which made the blonde giggle and take control of the wheel.

"Calm down lil sis, you'll like burst a blood vessel or something" Daisy lightly jibed aireheadedly because Misty's face was coloured a deep crimson, obviously caused by her previous comment.

"Hmph" Misty huffed and looked out the window, completely killing the atmosphere in the car. "So, about relationships..." Misty started which made Ash's ears twitch for some reason. "Where do you think your relationship with Tracey is going to end up?" Misty asked innocently; genuinely curious about how close her sister and her old travelling partner were.

"Hmm" Daisy said as she raised a hand to her mouth to ponder, quickly getting scolded by Misty in the process for letting go of the wheel. "Sorry, sorry" Daisy quickly apologised with a laugh, which made Misty feel as if her sister wasn't being sincere.

"I sometimes think like we could go further" Daisy then said which made Misty's eyes go all starry, she was such a romantic at heart after all.

"Then why don't you?" Misty asked excitedly which made Ash groan, gaining him a poignant glare by the red head for his troubles to which he stuck his tongue out childishly before looking out the window again, seemingly interested by a flock of Pidgey.

"Tracey like never wants to talk about it" Daisy said with a hint of disappointment lingering in her tone which made Ash sigh again.

"Uh can we like stop all this romance talk?"Ash groaned childishly not appreciating that it seemed like Daisy was 'blaming' his friend for not stepping forward and trying to take the relationship to the next level. To him comfortable, NORMAL relationships were fine, mainly because he didn't enjoy being outside of his comfort zone.

"No one asked you!" Misty cut in instantly because unlike the champion, Misty enjoyed talking about relationships, mainly because she hopped for something similar in her life... with Ash.

"Well I can't help overhearing things can I?" Ash replied as spiritedly as Misty had, causing a few sparks to form between the two in the back seat which just made the blonde laugh from the driver's seat.

"Uh why are you laughing Dais?" Misty asked quickly, the shock that Daisy found the situation amusing seemingly ending her momentary anger.

"Oh it's just" Daisy said in a mischievous manner "you two act like a married couple!" Daisy declared with a squeal which made both young adults turn bright red and look away childishly and in seeing this she instantly cooed "Aw you two should totally be together" gaining to response from them in the process.

"Whatever" Ash mumbled half heartedly once more which made Misty smile. This was mainly down to the fact that he no longer denied such possibilities about them getting together.

"You act like a kid sometimes you know?" Misty said with a giggle which made him mutter something along the lines 'I'm not a little kid' which made Misty smile brightly, if she wasn't sure that she'd love to have this man's child before, she certainly was now, he just made her so happy when she was in his presence.

"Why are you smiling like that Mist?" Ash asked after peaking at her from the corner of his eye which made Misty smile a little more.

"No reason" Misty said softly, which made Daisy smile as well, she understood how her sister was feeling and felt absolutely delighted for her. Yet despite this, didn't say anything because she didn't want to ruin the moment, so with that in mind, she readjusted her vision to what was in front of her and just focused on driving.

* * *

When the trio arrived in Pallet town the time was about 2:00pm, something that Daisy openly appreciated because it meant she could spend more time with her boyfriend. "Now no chickening out lil sis" Daisy told her sister who hopped out of the car. "Oh and Ash" Daisy said with a smile "no funny business this time" Daisy warned in such a manner that Ash felt as if he had to comply.

"Y-Yes Ma-am" Ash stuttered making the youngest Waterflower giggle.

"Good, now I'm off to see Tracey, bye you two" Daisy said cheerfully as she turned around and drove off, which made Misty sigh wistfully about Daisy's relationship with Tracey.

"What's with that Mist?" Ash asked as he heard her sigh, seemingly confused by why she would do such a thing.

"They really are such a cute couple Ash" Misty replied as she turned to him and winked, confusing the young champion immensely.

"I really can't imagine that" Ash said honestly, earning him a soft kick in the shin. "Hey will you ever grow out of your hitting habit?" Ash lightly complained, because to be fair it really didn't hurt.

"Hmph" Misty said as she walked toward the Ketchum residence, stopping when she reached the door. "Maybe" she then said cheekily "you'll just have to stick around to find out" she then added which inexplicably made the raven haired man blush.

"Whatever" Ash said with embarrassment as he made his way past Misty and opened the door. "Hey Mum I'm home" Ash called out naturally despite the circumstances, this action made Misty feel a little more confident about what she had come to reveal.

"Hi dear" Delia said as she poked her head out of the kitchen. "Did you 'enjoy' yourself at Misty's?" she asked slyly, adding emphasis to the 'enjoy' which made Ash's light blush deepen into a thick crimson.

"Haha, funny story" Ash stammered nervously as Misty walked in from behind him, a small blush now present on her face too, which made the middle-aged woman gasp out of embarrassment.

"Oh sorry dear I didn't know you were coming as well" Delia hastily apologised. "Why are you here anyway?" she asked hospitably as she put a few plates down and entered the main hallway.

"Uhh" Ash started for her, gaining a small jab in the back that went unseen by Delia.

"Uh it was umm" Misty tried to explain which made the older woman very curious, after all she knew the younger Waterflower quite well since she visited her often during the times Ash was adventuring and she'd never seen her so nervous.

"She has a day off" Ash tried to cover for her, wincing at his stupidity, because honestly, why would Misty spend her day off at the Ketchum residence in Pallet Town when she lives in Cerulean City?

"You're not helping" Misty whispered into Ash's ear which made him sweat slightly.

"Haha I'll just go sit... down" Ash mumbled lamely before he shimmied past Misty and walked to the sofa very carefully, which just made him look even more suspicious. He may of been a master in the art of Pokémon battling but his skills at lying sucked.

"I see" Delia said calmly with a smile, she wasn't really sure what Ash was so uptight about, but she wasn't going to push him on it, after all he always came clean eventually. "So would you like something to drink dear?" she asked Misty who nodded her head appreciatively.

"I would like that thanks Mrs. Ketchum" Misty said politely as she turned and glared at Ash's back, making the champion shiver frightfully as if he felt her anger from where he sat, this kind of amused the future water Pokémon master.

As Delia prepared some drinks Misty walked over to where the man of her dreams sat and smiled at him. "Calm down can you be any more obvious?" she asked him making him huff childishly, this was mimicked by Pikachu, making Misty giggle girlishly before sitting next to him.

"So how are you going tell her?" Ash questioned as he twiddled his fingers making Misty shrug shakily, making it clear that she too was nervous, granted still not as nervous as Ash was. "How reassuring" he said sarcastically before quickly apologising, there was no excuse for being rude to Misty, regardless of the situation.

"It's okay" Misty said as Delia entered the room and placed drinks in both Ash and Misty's hands, both thanking the woman in sync which made her smile as she sat down on a lone chair that sat adjacent to them.

As the two nervous wrecks did their best to conceal their inner torment Delia observed them carefully before speaking. "So how have you been recently Misty?" Delia asked in an attempt to calm her, since it was the quickest way to make somebody open up, unfortunately it just made her flinch and look to Ash who gave her a serious expression.

"Good thanks, I've had a lot of challenger to the gym recently with no losses until today" Misty said begrudgingly which made Ash smirk arrogantly.

"I'm just that good" Ash said cockily making Misty eye twitch, she had always been competitive with Ash, even if he was now on a level that she was unsure she could ever reach.

"Hey I would have won if I hadn't collapsed!" Misty barked before quickly covering her mouth in an attempt to take back what she said, however she could tell by Ash's expression that she had failed in her attempt, obviously.

"What was that?" Delia asked with concern "you collapsed dear?" she asked; completely forgetting her desire to find out what her son and her future 'daughter-in-law' were hiding in favour of the matter at hand.

"Erm.. yes" Misty admitted subconsciously putting a hand on her stomach, making Delia's brow arch.

"_It can't be" _Delia thought with widened eyes as she observed her son and Misty, carefully reading their body language and overt nervousness, coming to an understanding that it was a distinct possibility. "Misty..." Delia said in an understanding tone, which put the red head on edge instantly.

"I-It's nothing though, it's the first time this has happened..." Misty stammered as she turned to the man sitting next to her. "Right Ash?" she asked him, hoping he could say something which would stop Delia from worrying, which she clearly was.

"How would I know?" he replied stupidly gaining a small glare from the Waterflower. _"Did I say something wrong?" _he wondered as he looked to his mother who had a clear look of worry on her face. "I mean, it's the first time I've ever seen you do it" he changed his answer, but it was already too late.

"Misty are you sick?" Delia humoured her, knowing full well that it was probably something much more serious.

"Yeah she was actually" Ash answered with a click of his fingers, believing he said something intelligent, unfortunately for him it wasn't. "Just this morning" Ash continued as Misty gave him a distraught expression, silencing him on the spot.

"That sounds familiar" Delia said as she got to her feet. "Excuse me for a second I need to do something, sorry" Delia said as she walked into the kitchen leaving the two on their own in the living room.

"Ash could you have said anything more stupid if you tried?" Misty grumbled angrily at the man who flinched.

"Hey it's wasn't that bad!" Ash said defensively, getting a 'are you serious' look from Misty. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Ash asked confusedly, making the ginger haired woman sigh.

"Ash are you forgetting that she gave birth to you?" Misty asked in a low, wavering voice as she tried to control her emotions.

"Aw crap" Ash cursed. Misty would have laughed but the situation was too serious for that. "What do we do now?" Ash asked in a panic as he looked over his shoulder and kept his sights on the kitchen entrance.

"Just admit it" Misty sighed in defeat, they were going to admit it anyway and since their cover had almost been blown clear off there wasn't much point in hiding it any longer.

"B-but" Ash stuttered, gaining him a small reassuring smile from Misty.

"She won't be angry, I'm sure" Misty told him as her thoughts begged a greater force for her words to be true.

"Ok" Ash said as he kept his eye on the entrance, when he finally caught a sight of his mum he turned around and looked forward, acting as if he wasn't on lookout previously.

"I'm back" Delia said with a smile as she put a packet on the low coffee table.

"What's this?" Misty asked curiously as she picked it up.

"Oh I thought you weren't feeling well?" Delia lied expertly as she wanted them to reveal it to her after all it was their moment.

"Oh..." Misty said as she placed the packet back on the table. "Thanks Mrs. Ketchum but that won't be needed because I'm not sick" Misty said slowly as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest.

"Hm?" Delia hummed with a small smile, waiting expectantly for the news to be revealed.

"I'm" she started and looked to Ash who reluctantly nodded his head. "P-Pregnant" she finished and shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see Delia's response in case it betrayed her expectations.

As she kept her eyes shut, Misty overheard Ash say "mum" in confusion and a shuffling noise, just as she was about to open her eyes she felt two arms wrapped around her, causing her to cry out in a startled tone.

"M-Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty stuttered as she opened her eyes and looked to Ash who was still in her line of sight with a perplexed expression.

"Are you happy?" Delia asked all of sudden which took Misty by surprise

"I-I think so" Misty admitted much to the surprise of the champion.

"Then I'm happy for you dear" she whispered, it was so soothing and foreign to Misty that if she wasn't so good at controlling herself she may of cried. Yet Misty couldn't help feeling that Delia was already expecting the news.

"M-mum you're not angry?" Ash asked for confirmation and by the smile she flashed back at him, he knew she was telling the truth.

"Who wouldn't be happy that they're having grandchildren?" Delia asked, almost dumbfounded by her sons confusion.

"B-but what about da-"Ash said slowly. Stopping almost instantly when his mother directed a rare, stern expression in his direction.

"It's nothing like that Ash" Delia assured her son, after all she had raised him better than that.

"I guess" Ash said quietly and looked away. This confused the red head because she didn't really know much about Ash's family situation; all she knew was that Delia raised Ash practically single handedly.

"See, you two will be brilliant parents" Delia squealed as she hugged Misty tighter. "You're child will be so adorable" she said excitedly, this excitement was infectious for Misty who began smiling more vividly in response. Ash however didn't share the excitement and showed this by not smiling, a rare feat for the usually joyous man.

He didn't know why but the situation didn't feel right to him and he most certainly wouldn't be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it. Yet, seeing Misty looking so happy had some effect on him and he knew if he wasn't so conflicted he would probably be smiling for her.

* * *

After the 'commotion' had died down a little, the trio sat in the living room talking normally. The scene was so surreal to the champion who had quite a strange month. First he was declared the champion of the Kanto Region, then he ended up getting his 'friend' pregnant and now he sat in the living room drinking tea and talking normally with his mother.

"_This is strange" _Ash thought as he watched Delia and Misty discuss something about what would be coming up for her in the following months. Whenever he heard anything to do with the pregnancy he felt kind of sick, that didn't mean he was disgusted by the thought of Misty carrying his baby, but it didn't feel natural. _"Maybe I'm just being weird" _he concluded as he let out an audible sigh.

"So have you and Ash discussed anything about the future?" Delia asked Misty with a inkling of excitement in her tone which made Misty hum a denial softly, which was kind of cute in Ash's eyes, but he wouldn't admit that.

"Well you're raising the baby together right?" Delia asked, though it kind of sounded like a statement as well. This made Misty turn to Ash who after a small moment of contemplation nodded his head in agreement; he did say he was going to take responsibility after all.

"That's great!" Delia said happily, giving her son a proud look which made him smile against his own will. "Well you just found out so I guess it's natural that you haven't thought about much" Delia added as she nodded her head.

"What do you mean Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked, she wasn't stupid but she didn't think her life would be affected 'too' much.

"Well for starters honey... battling" Delia said which brought a look of fear to Misty's face.

"Battling?"

"No more battling, well not while you're pregnant" Delia delivered the news which felt like a punch to the gut to the red head. Battling was her career and her passion, she couldn't imagine not battling.

"But" Misty protested.

"Mist" Ash said softly finally speaking up. "Remember earlier?" he asked in reference to the pool incident which made the woman nod her head. "It might not be safe" he told her softly, understanding completely how she would feel, after all if he was told to stop battling he would be shocked to.

"But Ash, who else would look after _my _gym?" she asked possessively.

"Your sisters could look after it" Ash suggested; he knew it wouldn't go down well with Misty but it was better than a complete stranger looking after the gym.

"No nuh-uh" Misty protested flat out.

"Dear you do want what's best for your baby right?" Delia asked her.

"Of course but this is my gym Mrs. Ketchum... I can't just give it up" Misty said in a very concerned manner.

"Well it's not permanent you know" Ash offered. It wasn't like she would never be the gym leader again after all. "Think of it like a long due holiday" Ash told her, not understanding why he was getting involved when he wasn't really interested. _"Am I interested?" _he wondered curiously, this just made Delia smile; she knew Ash really did care he was just reluctant to do so.

"Ash I don't think I could just sit by in Cerulean City and watch my sisters run the gym into the ground" Misty said honestly which made the champion grimace, surely she didn't think her sisters were _that _bad did she?

"Then why don't you live here?" Delia piped up with a hand on her chin.

"Eh?"

"What?" two voices said in unison, it wasn't just the fact that it was completely audacious, but it was also down to that she said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Well if Misty can't battle and can't watch her sisters run the gym, why doesn't she just stay here?" Delia asked again, both Misty and Ash would have laughed if they didn't know she was being completely serious.

"W-wait Mum isn't that kind of... awkward?" Ash said lamely, lacking the proper words to explain how he was feeling.

"No why?" Delia asked making the future parents turn to look at each other, as if both of them were trying to think together of how to tell Delia that it was completely absurd.

"Well wouldn't it be inconvenient?" Misty asked awkwardly. To be honest she didn't completely hate the idea of her and Ash living under the same roof, in fact she kind of liked it, but he didn't want to admit this.

"No not at all dear" Delia assured her. "In fact I would love to have you around so I can see my grandbabies when they're born" she said joyously which kind of trapped the future water Pokémon master.

"Uh mum... could you stop?" Ash asked but got a firm shake of the head.

"Ash this is what's best for both of you, believe me in this" Delia said almost desperately and this didn't go unheard by the pair. "Ash ever since you were younger I've been saving something for you" Delia revealed which suddenly put the champion on edge, call it curiosity.

"Yes?" Ash asked and by the look on Misty's face, she was also curious.

"Well when you were younger, we were going to move into the house close to Professor Oak's laboratory" Delia started which made the black haired man raise a brow.

"'We'?" he asked curiously.

"You, me and... your father" Delia revealed which made Ash's face go pale in an instant, worrying the red head. "Well due to obvious events... we never moved but it's still under our ownership" Delia said in a forced calm, obviously finding it hard to control her emotions, after all anything involving Derek affect her in an adverse way. "So I thought when you got a family, you could have the house" Delia admitted before giving Misty an almost pleading look and whilst Misty didn't understand the circumstances, she could tell that Delia was being completely sincere with what she was saying.

"Mrs. Ketchum..." Misty said as she continued to observe Ash. "I... wouldn't mind" Misty said selflessly, well she was gaining something from it, namely living with Ash, besides there were ways of getting to Cerulean without using flight, namely the magnet train which existed in all cities.

"Mist..." Ash let out a gasp, he knew she was doing it for his mother and he couldn't help but feel appreciative.

"Thank you dear" Delia said softly with a smile. "However it's not like you can move in instantly anyway, that place hasn't been touched in years" Delia revealed. "So it would be smart for you to live here, of course you don't have to instantly, but..." Delia said but Misty stopped her.

"It's okay Mrs. Ketchum... I know you only want what's best for..." Misty said as she looked at Ash and smiled. "Us" she continued, almost feeling giddy at saying that. "Whilst it's not for sure, how about I decide after moving in here?" Misty asked.

"That would be fine dear" Delia said with a smile, knowing full well that Misty would eventually become so accustomed to being around her boy that it would be a matter of time before she officially accepted her offer.

"W-wait don't I get a say in this?" Ash finally spoke up making Misty giggle.

"Not really Ash" Misty teased which made Delia smile.

"Sweetie it's already been decided" Delia added which made Ash grumble and get to his feet.

"Whatever" he said all of sudden which concerned Misty, especially since he walked off and trudged up the stairs without even asking to leave. Yet despite this sudden display of rudeness, Delia just giggled which confused the youngest Waterflower.

"Oh my I didn't expect him to be so accepting!" Delia said in delight making Misty give her a look of absolute disbelief.

"A-Agree?" Misty stuttered, not out of nervousness, but because she was worried for Delia's mental health.

"Yes, when Ash walks off in a strop like that it means that he's already accepted it and he's angry that he can't think of something to say" Delia said with a small grin which made the red haired woman flush a little.

"It's clear you have feelings for my little boy" Delia said happily, it was this joy that didn't make Misty fervently deny her claims.

"...I do" Misty confessed which absolutely enthralled the middle aged woman.

"Whilst I don't want to reveal too much... you are closer to getting what you want hon, I know my boy better than anyone else" Delia said cryptically which brought a mini-smile to Misty's face as her hand subconsciously reached her stomach again.

"Thanks Mrs. Ketchum" Misty said sweetly as Delia got to her feet.

"It's ok dear" Delia said as she gave Misty another hug, this one felt more motherly, something that Misty had never really felt before. "Are you staying the night?" she then asked, gaining a small nod from Misty instantly. "You do know Ash sleeps in a single bed right?" Delia then teased making Misty turn bright red.

"Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty said in disbelief as the woman retreated and giggled.

"What dear? I was young once as well you know!" she declared which just embarrassed Misty even more. "Well enough of that, I have something to attend to outdoors, would you mind looking after the house while I'm gone?" Delia asked.

"Of course" Misty said happily as Delia walked towards the door and exited the house, her destination, Professor Oaks Lab.

* * *

When Delia reached the lab she asked Professor Oak if he had a room with a telephone where she wouldn't be disturbed and after a moment of thought, Oak remembered that one of the less frequently used labs possessed one and led her there at once.

"Is it Derek?" Oak asked gaining a small nod making the elderly professor sigh. "Dear are you sure Derek didn't have reasons?" Oak asked gaining a furious shake of the head from the woman; it was kind of funny because Delia never, ever acted like that unless Derek was involved. "Ok then" he said as he opened the lab door for Delia.

Once inside Delia walked straight to the phone and bashed on the keypad violently, she knew his number off by heart, he never changed it after all. It didn't take long until the monitor turned on revealing the former champion of Kanto, Derek Ketchum in all his 'glory'.

"D-Delia!" Derek said in shock, instantly backing away from the monitor. "W-what a surprise" he then said making the older woman frown which made his brow furrow a little. "Oh hi there professor, how are you doing?" he then asked to the elderly man standing behind Delia.

"Just fine my boy" Oak replied in his normal cheerful voice that made the former champion smile. "And you?" Oak then asked making the man scratch the back of his head.

"Well-" he started but he was swiftly silence by his wife.

"Professor can you please let as talk alone?" Delia asked sweetly to the man who gave her a perplexed look before nodding.

"Ok then" he said and then turned to Derek. "Well I'll be off now, bye Derek" Oak said, choosing his words carefully in the process.

"Yeah see ya professor" Derek said as he watched the man leave the room. "So... why did you call Delia?" Derek asked in an awkward yet almost affectionate way which just gained him a sharp glare.

"It's about the house" Delia said making Derek's eye widen.

"The house?" he asked expectantly.

"I'm giving it to Ash, I'm sure you have no objections right?" Delia asked venomously which frightened the man, he knew Delia was a kind person but once you truly pissed her off, she could be a right handful.

"Not really" Derek said in an upset tone which almost convinced Delia. "We never got to use that house as a family did we?" he asked, depression clear in both his facial expression and his tone of voice.

"Hah, and whose fault is that?" Delia replied emotionally, voice quavering a little before returning to a steady pitch and after a long silence she got the reply in the form of.

"...Mine" which made her nod in acceptance. "Delia, isn't that house a little too big for one person?" Derek then asked gaining to reply from the brunette who looked conflicted as to what to say. "D-Delia?" he then asked, worried that he said something to annoy her even more.

"...We're going to be grandparents" she revealed reluctantly making Derek's face turn pale, much like Ash's had earlier.

"It's kind of like us isn't it?" Derek said in a moment of stupidity, reigniting Delia's anger in the process.

"No, it won't be like us!" Delia declared making the grown man grimace.

"He can have the house" Derek then said at a loss for words. "I'll continue to pay if you want, I don't mind it's the least I can do" Derek offered but Delia wasn't having any of it.

"That's not necessary!" Delia bit back and reached for the receiver.

"W-wait Delia please" Derek begged, seemingly getting through her harsh exterior, because she stopped instantly.

"What is it Derek?" she asked impatiently.

"... I do still love you, you know" he then said sincerely which made the woman's heart tighten in her chest instantly, the seriousness of his voice just made everything more agonizing.

"Delia are you ok-" Derek started in concern when he noticed that Delia looked like she was about to cry, however before he got a chance to finish the woman slammed the receiver down stopping the call before uncharacteristically hitting the screen.

Just as her emotions threatened to boil over, the Professor who heard the racket entered the room to spot Delia shaking in her seat. Just as he approached her he could hear a few sobs coming from the woman which tugged at his heartstrings, after all he considered the woman to be like his own daughter, having been an old student of his when she was young.

"There, there dear" Oak then said soothingly as he hugged the woman from behind, much like a parent would. As he continued to soothe the woman Gary came walking past and spied the scene before getting involved.

"Hey gramps what happened, why is Mrs. Ketchum crying?" he asked, almost concerned for the woman.

"Gary just leave for now okay?" Oak told his grandson and after the man looked around the room he shrugged and walked off.

"W-Why did he just up and leave one day?" Delia asked the man who understood that Delia still held precious feelings for the man underneath her anger and bitterness.

"I don't know" Oak said calmly. "I'm sure he had a reason, Derek always had a reason for everything he did" Oak said cryptically, clueing Delia in that he actually knew something, yet in her current state Delia didn't notice it and just cried instead, thinking of how everything went wrong.

* * *

As Misty led on the sofa watching the TV show 'National Gym Insider' which was doing a report on Pewter Gym, Ash came downstairs and looked around, wondering where his mother had disappeared to.

"Hey Mist, do you know where mum is?" Ash asked the woman as he walked up behind her.

"Oh she went out somewhere" Misty said as she patted the spot next to her as if ordering him to sit and much to her surprise he did just that.

"Do you think accepting mum's offer was such a good idea?" Ash asked the woman unsurely who felt kind of upset by the disappointed tone in his voice.

"Ash, is the idea really that repulsive to you?" Misty asked in such a way that Ash felt guilty, extremely guilty.

"N-no it's not like that, I just feel as if things are moving too quick is all" Ash explained as he backed his way into the corner of the couch.

"Well we're only making preparations" Misty said as she began to slowly scoot closer to him.

"I guess" Ash said as he saw what Misty was doing and yet made no attempt to stop her, it didn't take long before she was sitting right next to him, leaning on his arm as she kept her gaze fixed on the tv.

"Ash?" she questioned.

"Y-yeah?" he replied unsurely.

"Despite what you think, you'll be a great dad" Misty said wistfully as she leaned her head on his shoulder, this surprised him, not only her actions, but the fact that she understood one of his fears.

"W-what was that for?" he asked nervously as his hand subconsciously reached for her 'perfect' hair again.

"Oh I just thought you were concerned about it" she said with a small smile as she continued to watch the screen, revelling in how he played with her hair so affectionately.

"How did you know I was worried about that?" he asked in disbelief before doing something he never thought he'd do and that was kiss her, not it wasn't on the lips, but instead to top of the head which made both of them flush red "thanks" he then said awkwardly.

And with one last giggle Misty sighed and replied "no problem" feeling happier than she'd been in her entire life.

* * *

(End Chapter)

Wow that was a long chapter, slightly fluffy I know and the relationship is finally moving. We found some stuff out about Delia and Derek and Misty is probably moving in with the Ketchums (during her pregnancy anyway).

Oh I'd like to take this moment to thank all my reviewers, also if any of you love Pokéshipping fics then read all the ones made by Nyislandergirl, trust me they are perfect for anyone who loves Pokéshipping, and if you are reading this fic then I am sure you do lol.

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed, perhaps you could leave a review if you don't mind?

-Aquilon


	10. Foundations

Responsibilities Chapter Ten

Okay, I am officially amazed by all of you reviewers, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support I have been given, it allows me to work so hard to release chapters even in the busiest moments.

Foundations

Just over a week had elapsed since Misty revealed to Ash that she was pregnant with his child and furthermore only a week had passed since she'd been coerced by Delia into moving in with them. This however didn't mean she was now living at the Ketchum residence because before she could even contemplate moving she had some serious business to attend to.

Her main order of business was to pick an interim leader for her gym and yet despite her fierce attachment to the gym it wasn't what was plaguing her thoughts. _"Today I'll tell them" _she thought with determination as she sat alone in the living area of the gym.

If you hadn't guessed by now her most daunting task was to tell her sisters that she was moving out. _"How am I supposed to tell them?" _she thought almost fearfully. Truth be told she didn't understand why she found herself unable to tell them. Especially since two of the three seemed to take delight in teasing and taunting her whenever possible.

"_I always thought this would be so easy when the time came" _she thought to herself as she turned to the side to see her slightly retarded Psyduck staring into blank space. "What are you doing up here anyway?" Misty sighed in boredom as she heard the sounds of clashing attacks which meant someone was challenging the gym.

"Psy?" the yellow duck replied in what was a mixture of both a statement and a question; of course Misty didn't know this.

"_Why of all my Pokémon does Psyduck appear when I'm feeling confused?" _Misty questioned inside her mind as she watched the Pokémon with a hint of curiosity.

"Duck" the Pokémon then said anticlimactically as he stared at the wall.

"Oh I see" Misty said with realisation.

"Psy?" the Pokémon asked curiously.

"_It's because of all my Pokémon you're the one that's perpetually confused" _she thought, making sure not to voice it, after all Psyduck had feelings too and she didn't want to hurt them. "Should I just tell them?" she asked the yellow Pokémon and for once she actually got what seemed to be a semblance of an answer.

"Psy!" the Pokémon replied as it slowly nodded its head.

"So I guess that's out of the picture" Misty said in a deflated manner; deciding that any decision made by Psyduck was probably the wrong one. _"Back to square one" _Misty thought as she brought her knees up to her body and wrapped her arms around them.

"What are you doing lil Mis?" Misty heard Lily ask from the door. The sudden question made her yelp like an animal which amused the pink haired woman so much that she cried tears of laughter.

"Lil what do you want?" Misty asked with a flushed face which continued to amuse the second youngest Waterflower.

"I just like finished cooking and like decided that I should totally ask you if you wanted some" Lily said in such a manner that it instantly made the red head suspicious of her intentions, these suspicions were obvious from the dubious expression plastered on her face. "Why are you like looking at me like that lil Mis?" Lily asked nervously.

"What do you want? Or is that that you want me to do something?" Misty asked her sister with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing... much" Lily caved in and walked towards her before sitting down delicately on the sofa next to the pregnant woman.

"Go on" Misty dared.

"Uh have you noticed something different about Dais recently?" Lily asked clearly, without any unnecessary 'likes' which made Misty wonder why she didn't speak like that more often.

"Yeah" Misty said honestly as she let go of her knees so her feet could touch the floor again. "She hasn't been speaking with me much in the last week" Misty said in an upset manner; it was no secret that she was closest to their blonde sister so it was completely understandable to Lily.

"So it's not just me" Lily said as if she had uncovered some weird form of conspiracy. "I mean Vi has also been like all quiet and stuff" Lily said as she reverted back to her carefree manner of speaking which made Misty growl angry a little bit.

"Don't you and Vi tell each other everything? You are twins after all" Misty asked with some genuine concern, after all Violet and Lily would always know something that she didn't and they'd always know the exact same thing.

"Yeah that's what's so weird" Lily said with an angry look on her face which meant she was about to throw a hissy fit if she didn't find out what was going on.

"Well I'll try and find out" Misty offered which made Lily smile and get to her feet.

"Great!" she said happily and rushed to the door "I'll like call Vi and Dais up for lunch anyway, that's if Vi is here, I think she's here but I'm not sure, Dais I-" Lily started rambling but stopped the moment Misty raised her hand, palm facing towards her.

"Stop" Misty ordered which made the pink haired woman nod before almost skipping off to get their sisters. "Well I guess this is the perfect opportunity" Misty said with a sigh. "Right Psyduck?" Misty asked as she turned her head only to see nothing. _"Same old Psyduck" _Misty thought as she braced herself for her sister's future reactions to her news.

* * *

It wasn't easy but Lily managed to make everyone eat together. Usually one of them would walk off or decide to eat their food somewhere else. So usually the only time they ever ate together was mornings or on special occasions.

As Misty dug into her food she carefully spied Daisy who was slowly eating the food she had been made. _"I wonder what's up with her"_ Misty thought as she continued to watch her usually vibrant and talkative sister.

Whilst she did that Lily watched Violet who continued to make small glances at Daisy, something that made the pink haired woman suspicious and slightly jealous. "So how was the gym battle Dais?" Misty was the first to talk startling Daisy.

"Uh" Daisy started before being stopped by Violet.

"I like battled this time" Violet said which stunned the red haired woman. After all they had an agreement that when Misty wasn't battling Daisy would, Violet was actually the last in line to do battles.

"Why?" Misty asked almost angrily because she wanted the Cerulean Gym to continue with their high win percentage.

"I like don't know" Violet lied which made the youngest Waterflowers suspicious, both knew their sister hated battling and would prefer to be shopping or tanning or showing off somehow. "I felt like it?" she added which was quite possible the worst lie either of them had heard.

"I didn't want to battle today" Daisy spoke up which made Violet turn worriedly towards Daisy.

"Dais" Violet said in shock which made the blonde shrug.

"Oh... ok" Misty said not knowing how to respond. After all it was a viable reason that Daisy just didn't feel like it because even though she wasn't as lax as Violet and Lily she still possessed some of their free-spirited natures.

"Like what's the matter lil Sis?" Daisy asked with concern, mainly because Misty was being less snappy than usual.

"Oh it's nothing" Misty said with a fake smile knowing full well that the situation she was in wasn't very favourable. After all it was blatantly aware to everyone at the table that each person was hiding something so it was quite accurate to call the place a psychological warzone than a dining area.

"Really?" Daisy pushed which made Misty flinch; proving that she, just like her sisters wasn't a good liar.

"... Uh well there is one thing" Misty said which caught the attention of her three sisters.

"Yes?" Violet and Lily said instinctively, Misty guessed it was their connection as twins that caused them to do that so often.

"Well... I'm kind of" Misty said as she focused on Daisy who was staring into space. "Moving out" Misty said which made Violet drop her cutlery in shock, causing a loud clang. Meanwhile Lily's jaw dropped and Daisy just continued to stare into space, however unlike before her eyes showed she was more with it.

"What!" Violet exclaimed in an almost distraught manner which took the red head completely by surprise. "Is this true?" Violet asked as she turned to her two other sisters who couldn't really confirm anything since they had also just found out.

"Umm yeah" Misty said unsurely.

"Psy?" the duck Pokémon appeared from behind her.

"Not now Psyduck" growled angrily.

"Duck" the Pokémon agreed and walked away.

As Violet watched Psyduck walk around the corner she finally regained her bearings. "Why?" Violet asked for her two sisters, moreso Lily because Daisy was still kind of out of it.

"Well I'm not supposed to battle and if I stay here I'll be tempted" Misty admitted with a hint of sadness in her tone. "Besides after Mrs. Ketchum offered so 'nicely' I couldn't really refuse" Misty admitted which made a bit of sense to those present, after all it was no secret that Misty loved the Kanto champion, so moving in with them wouldn't be too unusual.

"Who's going to look after the gym?" Violet asked quickly to which Misty laughed.

"I won't be gone forever you know" Misty lied this time a little more convincingly. This wasn't because she thought she'd never return, but because she wasn't really sure what the future held.

"Yeah but still..." Violet said as she looked towards Daisy who didn't seem to want to talk.

"Well until I can take over I guess Dais will have to be in charge of the gym" Misty decided getting a firm no from Violet and Daisy, much to the surprise of Lily who practically gawked at her twin's adamant attitude. "What?" Misty asked in disbelief "then wh-"

"Like lil Mis I think Lil and I should takeover" Violet said gaining a small mimed 'thanks' from Daisy, something neither sister missed, unfortunately for Violet, Daisy was the only one pleased.

"Is this some kind of joke Vi?" Misty asked almost laughing at Violet's audacious claim, half torn between shock and curiosity, however this was quickly swatted down by Violet who after glancing at Daisy decided to affirm her decision.

"No I'll take over, with Lil of course" she said firmly.

"Hey!" Lily complained but the look she received from Violet instantly silenced her, after all it was a rare sight to see a serious Violet which seemed to work in her favour whenever she had to be serious.

"No Lil, we will" she said and after a quick lock of the eyes Lily conceded, knowing full well that it had something to do with Daisy, this worried her slightly but she knew if it was really serious she would of known already.

"Vi how many battles have you actually won?" Misty spoiled the moment with an ounce of cynicism which made the blue haired woman flinch.

"I'll have you know I won my first one today" Violet said proudly which made the red head sigh and facepalm. "There is no convincing you otherwise is there?" Misty asked gaining a shake of the head. "And there is no convincing you either I assume Dais?" Misty asked the blonde who gave her a small smile which meant 'that is correct'.

"Fine you and Lil can look after the gym until I find a better replacement" Misty said gaining a small frown from Violet. "Let's call it a probation period" Misty then appealed to Violet's simple mind which seemed to appease her for the meanwhile. "How I will be training BOTH of you in the following week okay?" Misty asked sternly.

"Fine!" Violet said in such a manner that it sounded as if she cared more about the gym than Misty moving out.

"Thanks for the food Lil" Daisy suddenly said as she got to her feet and walked away.

"Wait Dais!" Misty shouted out but the woman had already disappeared. "What's going on, why is she avoiding me?" Misty asked no-one in particular in a saddened manner.

"Lil Mis don't worry you haven't done anything" Violet said which piqued both Lily and Misty's interest.

"You know something don't you Vi" Misty claimed but the blue haired woman merely scoffed at the accusation.

"Me?" she asked as she flicked her hair vainly. "As if" she said haughtily as she walked towards the door, effectively ending the conversation.

"Well that was like... productive" Lily said in a strop.

"_Oh how witty of you" _Misty drawled in her mind. _"I wonder why they didn't seem so phased by the news" _Misty thought, almost upset that they didn't fawn over her. _"Something serious must be going on with Dais" _she then concluded as she gobbled up the last trace of her food. _"And finally... how typical can Vi get?" _she thought with a small smirk as she planned how she would 'torture' the blue haired woman in 'training'.

* * *

Meanwhile Ash was on his way to Pewter City to finally inform his best friend of current events and to get his 'expert' knowledge on the subject. In other words, he was going to Brock to find someone who could make the situation he was in sound positive.

As he walked into the Pokémon Centre he instantly became the centre of attention but because he was 'busy' he walked straight up to the main desk. "Oh Mr. Ketchum do you remember me?" the Nurse Joy behind the counter asked which made Ash raise an eyebrow.

"O-of course" Ash replied as Pikachu also verified that he remembered her as well... along with ALL of the other Nurse Joys that is.

"Oh how wonderful" that woman said with a smile. "How may I help you today?" she then asked sweetly, in the usual hospitable manner that defined a Pokémon Centre nurse.

"Is Brock here?" Ash asked the woman who quickly opened looked at the staff registration on her computer.

"Yes but he is currently in surgery" Nurse Joy informed the Champion who practically cringed at the word surgery. Mainly because it meant blood and possibly guts of the creatures he loved so much, after all they may be powerful creatures, but they too had to go under the knife at times.

"Hm do you know when he'll be out?" Ash asked the woman who put a hand to her chin almost gracefully.

"Well I can't say, but he should be out by 6:00pm" the woman informed him which made Ash's expression droop a little.

"Oh" Ash said dejectedly.

"Do you really have to talk with him?" the woman asked and after a small moment of contemplation Ash nodded his head.

"Hm well, while I can't fetch him for you, I can suggest a way to spend your time" Nurse Joy offered with a smile which brightened Ash's outlook ever so slightly.

"That would be appreciated" Ash said with a cool smile which almost brought a blush to the 'older' woman's face.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed which made Ash grin and smile at his little buddy.

"Well the Pewter City Contest is today, if you're lucky you should be able to get there before the appeals start" Nurse Joy informed him.

"Well that doesn't sound too bad" Ash reasoned. "Thank you Nurse Joy" the champion said as he turned on his heel and walked out towards the Contest Hall.

* * *

As Ash entered the Contest Hall he caught sight of someone he never imagined to see outside of a battle arena. "P-Paul?" Ash stuttered in shock as he spied the purple haired man near the reception desk.

"What?" the man asked gruffly as he turned around with a small glare plastered on his face. "Oh great it's you" Paul said disdainfully making the Kanto champion frown angrily, he even managed to give Paul a small return glare which made the Sinnoh champion smirk. "What are you doing here?" Paul then asked abrasively.

"Unlike you I have friends in Pewter City" Ash said smoothly which actually surprised Paul a little. "I need to kill some time" Ash then said with a small smirk. "Question is what are you doing here Paul, I didn't think you were such a big contest fan" Ash said sarcastically to his greatest rival.

"Uh" Paul said at a loss for words and then walked towards Ash and straight passed him heading directly for the exit however just as he reached the door something unpredictable happened.

"Hey Paul!" shouted a very familiar voice which made Ash's head dart in the direction of the sound to spot Dawn in her trademark pink dress. "Don't you dare consider leaving!" Dawn said strictly which made the champion of Sinnoh growl and it was that very noise that made Ash smirk with a sinister delight.

"I wasn't leaving" Paul claimed as he turned around. "I was just going outside until the contest starts, I hate being around annoying people" Paul said convincingly, well at least enough to convince Ash, it didn't however convince the blue-haired coordinator.

"Uh-huh yeah right" Dawn said, still not noticing Ash because her sights were solely focused on Paul. "Sorry about that" Dawn then apologised as she finally turned towards Ash "Oh... Ash?" she asked with a smile.

"Hey there Dawn!" Ash said enthusiastically to which Pikachu cried out happily as well, especially after Dawn walked up to them before giving Ash a quick hug which made Paul's eye twitch ever so slightly.

"What are you doing here?" Dawn asked as she spotted Ash giving Paul a mocking look which confused her slightly. In actuality the expression roughly translated to "I finally have something over you bitch' mainly in Paul language, not Ash language, since Ash doesn't swear... often.

"Oh I came to see Brock but he's doing some surgery so I decided to check out the contest" Ash admitted before spying a small case in Dawn's hand. "Oh how many ribbons do you have?" Ash asked making the blue haired girl giggle.

As she opened the case Dawn said "ta-da" as three ribbons were unveiled.

"Wow that's amazing Dawn, hasn't the season only just started?" Ash asked, not being completely in the know about contest times however the small nod she gave him confirmed his claims. This line of questioning practically blanked Paul from the conversation which annoyed him to the point that he actually walked up to the duo to watch them carefully.

"So this is going to be your fourth ribbon?" Ash joked gaining a snort from the Sinnoh champion.

"Do you even need to ask that, of course it will be" Paul said confidently, wanting to be part of the conversation even if he wouldn't admit that.

"Hehe you've never sounded so confident in me before Paul" Dawn giggled with a small blush on her cheeks which made Ash grin sneakily.

"Oh you make a habit of attending her contests do you?" Ash jibed, deciding at that moment that going to the contest was totally worth it.

"Only when I lose whatever bet she roped me into" Paul said defensively, completely ignoring the fact that it implicated that he and Dawn talked to each other on a normal basis.

"You two seem to be hitting it off quite well" Ash taunted as Pikachu joined in with small squeals which made Dawn smile happily and Paul to frown angrily.

"Tch whatever" Paul then said in an almost embarrassed manner before skulking away into the contest hall seating area.

"What's with him all of sudden?" Dawn fumed which made Ash laugh.

"I don't know" Ash said mischievously. "Anyway fourth ribbon?" he asked bringing a small grin to Dawn's face.

"Of course!" she said as he put her hand up which was instantly met with Ash's, it was their signature high-five that they always performed.

"So who is the biggest threat for this tournament?" Ash asked the coordinator who brought a hand to her mouth in contemplation.

"Well May and Drew headed towards Cerulean last I heard, so I'd probably say Solidad as she's the only other Grand Festival Winner" she said with a smile which in turn made Ash grin.

"Easy there, don't get all overconfident just because you won the Hoenn Grand Festival last year!" Ash joked which made the blue haired coordinator smile.

"Well I guess you're right this season is the hardest yet, I mean we have Solidad who has won the Kanto and Sinnoh Grand Festivals, Drew who won the Johto Grand Festival back when I was starting off and of course May who has won both Sinnoh and Hoenn" Dawn informed the champion with a smile.

"I'm still going to win though" Dawn said with confidence which made Ash smile happily, after all he remembered when she first started off and he had to admit she had become quite the coordinator.

"So Solidad is your biggest rival, sound hard" Ash said lamely which made the blue haired woman laugh.

"Well she already has five ribbons and she has the hometown advantage but I'll win this time!" Dawn said which practically revealed that she hadn't beaten Solidad as of yet.

"Well good luck I'll be cheering for you... just like Paul will be" he said with a smile gaining another hug from the coordinator.

"Thanks Ash" she said as she broke the hug and giggled.

"Hm?" Ash mumbled.

"Oh I should really stop hugging you or Misty will get jealous" Dawn said jokingly as she turned and ran towards the contestant's door. "Time to win!" she said as she entered the door leaving Ash stunned for a small moment.

"If only she knew..." Ash said before shrugging and entering the viewing area.

* * *

As the contest ended, both Ash and Paul looked deflated as Solidad stood in the centre waving her newly earned sixth ribbon in the sky with a small smile on her face. "Well I guess I'll wait in the lobby" Ash said as he walked out only to spot Paul leaning against the wall with an almost brooding expression on his face.

After about ten minutes of waiting both finalists walked into the lobby together, speaking happily, showcasing that whilst they were rivals in contests they were friends outside of them. "There you are!" Ash said as he got to his feet, meanwhile Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and ran over to Dawn and scurried onto her shoulder.

"You were both great!" Ash said excitedly which made both coordinators smile at him appreciatively.

"Well I still didn't get my fourth ribbon" Dawn then said which made Solidad raise a brow.

"Oh yeah, here you go Dawn" Solidad said and held out the ribbon to her which made the blue haired woman blink in confusion.

"Huh?" she questioned dumbly which made the older woman giggle at her.

"I don't need this one, I was going to give it to the other finalist, I just wanted to perform in front of my home crowd" Solidad revealed which made Dawn shake her head.

"N-no I want to earn my own ribbons!" Dawn said however just as those words left her lips the case that held her ribbons was snatched from her. "Hey give that back!" Dawn cried as she turned to see a bored looking Paul who quickly took the Ribbon from Solidad and put it inside her case. "Hey don't do that!" she the cried and flailed her arms in an attempt to steal the case but it proved useless against Paul who dodged all her 'attacks'.

As this was going on, Ash and Solidad somehow managed to blank them out and start a conversation of their own. "So how are you and Brock coming along?" Ash asked the pink haired coordinator who instantly donned a disappointed expression.

"Let's just say I haven't received any calls yet" she said dejectedly which made Ash's eyes go wide, not because it was unsurprising, not it was because he guessed it would happen like that.

"I'll see what I can do" Ash offered which made Solidad thank him softly. "He's just being shy" Ash said with a wry smile. "Women aren't interested in him much" Ash revealed which made Solidad nod in understanding.

"Yes got it!" Dawn said happily as she gripped the case but because of Paul's strength she couldn't seize it, this little outburst made the pink haired coordinator and the champion of Kanto laugh before continuing their conversation.

"Brock shy... never thought I'd hear that" Solidad said with a small smile which made the black haired man laugh.

"Well that's just the way he is" Ash said as he spied her ribbon case. "Hey what are you planning on doing now? You do have five ribbons after all" Ash asked curiously.

"I'm going to train here in Pewter City until the Grand Festival" Solidad told him. "It's the best things about doing contests in your own region" Solidad revealed happily which made Ash smile for her. "Well I think I'll get going now, I have things to do" Solidad said as she walked towards the door waving to Ash before leaving.

Now that Solidad was gone, Ash just watched his rival and one of his best friends fought over the ribbon case which eventually ended with Paul allowing Dawn to steal it. This made Ash wonder if Paul was just waiting for Solidad to leave but he didn't voice his suspicions.

"Thanks a lot Paul!" Dawn said angrily as she noticed Solidad was gone.

"Well looks like you have to keep that ribbon" Ash said with a small smile which made the blue haired coordinator sigh.

"I guess" Dawn said as she formed a fist. "I'll make sure I beat her at the Grand Festival. She'll regret giving me this ribbon!" she cried out before turning to Ash and giving him another high five.

"So where now?" Ash asked in reference to Dawn's next destination.

"Well I have to be in Goldenrod City later this week, Elesa, yes THE Elesa will be showcasing one of my outfits at the Goldenrod Fashion Show!" Dawn said excitedly.

"You've made it big" Ash said with a hint of shock, because whilst he wasn't big on fashion even he knew how much acclaim Elesa held.

"Hehe thanks!" she said happily which made Paul frown and grab her arm. "Hey Paul what gives!" she cried out to the Sinnoh champion who gave her a small stare before shrugging.

"Next train is soon" he explained which made Dawn gasp.

"Oh yeah!" she cried out and turned to Ash. "I'm so sorry Ash but I have to go" she said and hugged him a third time. "See you soon?" she asked which made the champion grin and nod his head.

"Sure why not?" he asked which made her giggle happily and run out of the contest hall, leaving Paul behind in the process. "Uh Paul?" Ash asked as Paul just stood quietly in the hall before walking to the door and turning to him with a small glare.

"What?" Ash asked but it was met with a shrug.

"I 'look forward' to facing you in the champion's league" Paul said with his back to Ash before walking through the door leaving Ash dumbfounded.

"P-Pikachu did he just ALMOST compliment me?" Ash asked in disbelief which was met by similar confused cries from the electric mouse. "Hm I guess we'll never know" Ash said before looking at the time and smiling. "Perfect timing" he then said and did just what everyone else had before him, headed for the exit.

* * *

Like planned Ash finally managed to get a talk with Brock. However before talking about what he wanted to he ended up finding out that over the course of the last week Brock had already received offers from the Breeders Association to purchase his food, however this was quickly shot down, after all Brock had bigger ambitions.

"Wow man so far in such a short space of time" Ash said in an impressed manner which made the Doctor laugh bashfully as he pulled the lever of his reclining chair and leaned back.

"Well I guess it's because I am that good" he said which made Ash raise an eyebrow, but of course he didn't say anything, but to some degree Brock was correct. "So why did you want to talk with me Ash?" Brock then asked in a serious manner which made him gulp.

So over the next twenty minutes Ash decided to recap everything, from him getting Misty pregnant to her moving in with him. At first Brock acted very excited, almost like a teenage girl discussing love issues, but after a while he started to realise that Ash didn't really sound enthusiastic, in fact he sounded more apathetic than enthusiastic, something that troubled the doctor slightly.

"Hey Ash... what's wrong?" he finally got the guts to ask which made the champion sigh.

"Misty... me... don't you think this is a little strange?" Ash asked which made the future millionaire shake his head instantly something that made the champion frown. "I mean she says she wants this but... it has to be a lie right?" Ash asked in such a manner that it sounded like he was asking himself than Brock.

"I wouldn't know Ash" Brock said which just made the man in question frown disappointedly "though I can say Misty would probably be happy, knowing her" Brock said cryptically.

"Also I'm not sure... this situation makes me feel weird" Ash said as he completely ignored Brock's last comment, making it fully clear to Brock that Ash was seriously concerned over everything, yet he also understood something Ash didn't.

"_You so like her" _Brock thought as he watched Ash sit on the sofa with a conflicted expression on his face and it was this that made him start putting oil on the fire. "Hey Ash why not test it out?" Brock asked gaining a 'huh?' from Ash which made him laugh. "You're both going to be parents right?" he then asked gaining a small nod from the champion. "Well why not, you know, try it out?" he asked which made Ash rotate his hands.

"More specific Brocko" Ash said which made Brock facepalm at his best friend's obliviousness.

"You and Misty... try it out... together... maybe it'll help" Brock said awkwardly.

"..." Ash tried to reply but words escaped him. "... No way" Ash said which make Brock's jaw drop.

"Why not?" Brock practically protested.

"Because neither of us want it" Ash said unconvincingly, however Brock knew that he could not change Ash's mind now so he didn't try to change it. "Well if the situation arises why not give it a go?" Brock then suggested which made Ash thinking for a small moment.

"_Well that's never going to happen" _Ash thought as a small grin appeared on his face. "Why not" Ash agreed which made the doctor/breeder feel like screaming 'yes!' but luckily for him he managed to contain his joy.

After that the two continued talking about random stuff, mainly to do with Brock's outlandish schemes which amused Ash to no end, eventually the conversation drifted back to relationships but this time Ash was the one on the front foot. "Still Brock you of all people giving me relationship advice, I would have never guessed!" Ash said which kind of hurt the breeder.

"What of it?" he asked, instantly regretting it when Ash slyly smiled at him.

"I hear Solidad has had no calls" Ash revealed, revelling in the moment that Brock flinched a little too much, yet this wasn't going to stop his teasing.

"Uh I've been busy" Brock made an excuse to the best of his ability but in the end it was clear that nothing was going to fool Ash, his longest ever friend.

"She sounded so disappointed today!" Ash said which made Brock's eyes light up in a flash amusing the champion to no end.

"Really?" he asked with both hope and doubt, mainly because knew that Ash enjoyed teasing him, so lying about this sort of thing wasn't completely beyond him.

"Yeah we met up at the Pewter Contest" Ash said with a grin. "She won by the way" he added which made Brock laugh a little.

"Fine I believe you" Brock conceded, feeling happy that Solidad was genuinely interested in him. "Well I guess since you are willing to try things out with Misty if something happens, I guess I can give her a little call" Brock said which made Ash facepalm

"You shouldn't need me to convince you to do that you know!" Ash said which made Brock laugh again.

"Well what can I say, I'm so busy!" Brock said, sticking with his previous story.

"Yeah sure you are Brock" Ash said as he pulled out his Pokégear to spot a number on his missed calls list. _"That's strange, I don't remember hearing a call" _Ash thought suspiciously, looking at the time of the call only to spot that there wasn't one, all that was there was a number and the symbol for missed calls.

"Hey Ash what's up?" Brock asked as he saw Ash's facial expression go serious.

"Oh it's nothing" Ash replied as he stuffed his Pokégear back into his pocket. "Just a missed call..." Ash said as he looked towards the door. "Uh Brock... I think I might go now" Ash said suddenly, he wasn't sure why but he was really curious as to how the number got there.

"O-oh okay then" Brock said as he saw Ash get to his feet and walk to the door. "Hey Ash, how do you feel about Misty really?" Brock asked just as Ash reached the door.

"I don't know" Ash responded "more than a friend though" he then admitted and opened the door. "See you soon Brocko" he said a little more cheerfully.

"Yeah okay then Ash. I might need some help with my business at any point so who knows you may be over tomorrow" Brock joked making the champion sigh.

"Well I can't say no to that" Ash joked as he opened the door and pulled out Charizard's Pokéball and threw it to the floor, summoning the dragon like fire Pokémon into action.

"Charrr!" the fire-type cried out before looking to Ash and leaning down ever so slightly, already understanding the situation.

"Well anyway, thanks for talking man" Ash said as he hopped onto Charizard's back and grabbed his neck.

"No problem" Brock then said as he reached the front door, only to spot Ash already flying away. Usually he would be a little annoyed by his rudeness but this was a one off occasion so he let it slide. So with that, the breeder/doctor re-entered his home and flicked to Solidad's number on his Pokégear.

"..."

It was going to be a long night for Brock.

* * *

As Ash landed in Pallet Town he felt his phone vibrate, momentarily taking his attention away from the mysterious missed call. As he looked at the phone he smiled when he saw it read 'Text: Mist' which in turn made him instantly check the message she'd sent to him. 'Told my sisters, they don't seem as upset as I thought they'd be. Shocked' it read accompanied by a wide mouthed emoticon which made the champion laugh.

'Well siblings are like that right? Granted I never had one' Ash texted back as he recalled Charizard back to its Pokéball.

'Hey Ash' the next message started which put the champion on edge for some reason. '...Do you want our child to have a brother or sister?' it read, making Ash's jaw slacken. _"Wait she didn't just ask me that right?" _Ash wondered as he re-read it. _"She did!"_ his mind claimed in shock as he felt his palms go sweaty.

"_Isn't that like an invitation to... make more?" _Ash wondered as he unsteadily began to text back. 'Let's think about that later' his text said suggestively, granted he didn't actually intend for it to sound as such.

'Yeah later' Misty's reply came instantly, it was followed by a smile emoticon. 'I'd love to continue talking but... Vi is still training so bye. Xo' Misty's final text came through which made Ash laugh, after all, Misty was only joking right?

* * *

As Ash approached his house he suddenly remembered the mysterious call and decided to call the number back to see where it led and after what seemed like five minutes someone finally answered. "So you called back" the person on the other line said proudly which confused the champion.

"Who is this?" Ash asked gaining a small laugh from the man over the line.

"Guess you've forgotten my voice" the man said. "Hint we've met twice, one in Johto, one in Hoenn" the man said and after a quick jog of his memory Ash remembered.

"Lance?" he asked getting congratulations for his guess. "Uh why did you call, or more likely, how did you call?" Ash asked gaining a chuckle from the man.

"Well this is going to sound strange but there is a meeting I want you to attend, and about the call I can't tell you that" he said, making the champion even more curious.

"What kind of meeting?" Ash asked with a piqued interest, after all if it was a meeting that involved Lance it had to be important.

"Sorry can't disclose that over the phone" Lance said much to Ash's disappointment. "However if you are interested come to the Indigo Plateau a week from now, oh and do bring your Champions ID Ash it'll make things a lot easier" Lance suggested.

"Uh... sure?" Ash said in a dumb manner.

"Great" the man said over the phone. "Well I have some business to attend to, hope to see you soon Ash" the man said before cutting the call instantly.

"What was that about?" Ash asked nobody in particular, however Pikachu did try and answer to no avail. "Well it's probably important" Ash said as he reached his door and sighted. "A champion's work is never done" he remarked as he walked through the door.

* * *

Damn, long-ish chapter. Oh and by the way, Foundations? Ah it's because this chapter is the foundation for the next saga, everything begins from here and thus it is kind of like a breaking the fourth wall moment.

I really appreciate all my reviews, and big thank you goes to Pkmn2112 for his/her awesome reviews.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

-Aquilon


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